Boehringer Ingelheim is handing over a total of 38.8 million euros ($42 million) to long-time partner OSE Immunotherapeutics for a preclinical anti-PD1/cytokine drug as well as to expand their existing solid tumor work into cardio-renal-metabolic diseases.
The two companies first began their partnership back in 2018, when Boehringer paid 15 million euros ($18.4 million at the time) for the global rights to develop the preclinical checkpoint OSE-172, a SIRP-alpha antagonist targeting myeloid lineage cells, for solid tumors.
The asset is among an emerging class of immuno-oncology drugs that target “don’t eat me” signaling, which is a strategy used by tumors to escape immune destruction. OSE’s original theory was that targeting SIRP-alpha would modulate the CD47 ligand, boosting the ability of the immune system to activate myeloid lineage cells, in turn freeing up the immune system to attack tumors.
The immuno-oncology asset—renamed BI 765063—appeared to prove its worth in 2021, when Boehringer unveiled that 45% of evaluable patients with solid tumors who participated in a phase 1 dose-escalation study derived some clinical benefit from the drug.
Now, Boehringer wants to see whether BI 765063 can have benefits beyond tumors. The German drugmaker announced this morning that it has amended the deal with OSE so that Boehringer can explore the potential of both BI 765063 and another phase 1 solid tumor drug already licensed from OSE called BI 770371 in cardiovascular-renal-metabolic (CRM) diseases.
“The development of the ongoing anti-SIRPα compounds for a new indication adds to the company’s comprehensive CRM pipeline with the initiation of a phase 2 clinical study planned for later this year,” Boehringer explained in the May 22 release.
To expand the deal terms, Boehringer is making a one-off payment of 25.3 million euros ($27.4 million). The German pharma also has an option for an “additional buyout” option for the program,, which would trigger another payment. The original 1.1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in development, regulatory and sales milestones that were set out in 2018 are all still in place.
In addition to expanding this existing work, Boehringer is also adding something new into the mix, paying OSE 13.5 million euros ($14.6 million) for a new preclinical program to develop immune-cell activating treatments based on OSE’s cis-targeting anti-PD-1/cytokine platform.
The platform asset “will further enrich Boehringer Ingelheim’s array of novel potential immune-modulatory cancer treatments,” the company said in the same release.
In addition to the upfront fee, OSE can also expect to receive a near-term milestone payment of 17.5 million euros ($18.9 million).
Both amends fit in with Boehringer’s wider dealmaking strategy, which saw a flurry of announcements to kick off the year including a a T-cell anti-cancer therapy partnership with 3T Biosciences and a pact with Suzhou Ribo Life Science and Ribocure Pharmaceuticals to use RNA to treat metabolic-associated steatohepatitis.
Boehringer isn’t the only Big Pharma that wants to work with OSE, either. In February, AbbVie paid the biotech $48 million upfront for the global rights to a novel approach to chronic inflammation.