Ipsen licenses Simcere ADC in $1bn-plus deal

Deal-hungry Ipsen is at it again, pledging just over $1 billion for rights to an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for cancer developed by China's Simcere Zaiming, that is due to start clinical testing next year.

The drug – codenamed SIM0613 – targets LRRC15, a cell membrane protein that is said to be highly expressed on various tumour types as well as cancer-associated fibroblasts – structural cells that help solid tumours grow but are rarely found on normal, healthy cells.

The protein – which is associated with tumours that arise from mesenchymal tissue like glioblastoma, sarcomas, and melanoma – is thought to influence tumour growth, as well as play a role in resistance to anticancer therapies.

According to Ipsen, which has development, manufacturing and commercial rights to the ADC outside Greater China, SIM0613 has been designed for superior tumour penetration and has "robust preclinical efficacy data" backing it up.

Christelle Huguet, Ipsen's head of R&D, said the deal "underscores our bold vision to lead innovation and shape the future of oncology" and continues a strategy of adding "first- and best-in-class therapies" to its early pipeline.

It's notable that Ipsen has bolted on more than 20 early-stage programmes since 2020 as part of a push to become a major player in cancer. Oncology accounted for €1.91 billion of the company's €2.73 billion in sales for the first nine months of this year.

In the last couple of years alone, it has reached an agreement to buy fellow French firm ImCheck Therapeutics for up to €1 billion ($1.16 billion), adding an antibody-based therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and licensed T-cell engager (TCE) therapies from Biomunex Pharma and Marengo Therapeutics in deals valued at up to $610 million and $1.6 billion, respectively.

Last year also saw it add to its cancer pipeline with two more ADC alliances – with Foreseen Bio and Sutro Biopharma – and acquire rights outside the US to Day One Biopharma's brain cancer therapy Ojemda (tovorafenib).

Under the terms of the deal with Shanghai-based Simcere Zaiming, Ipsen has manufacturing rights and will assume responsibility for all development activities for SIM0613 outside Greater China, including phase 1 preparation activities and the submission of applications for human trials.

Simcere's drug discovery platform also attracted a $1 billion alliance earlier this year with AbbVie, which acquired rights to SIM0500, a trispecific antibody that targets GPRC5D, BCMA, and CD3 and is in phase 1 testing for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.