Global Briefs: GSK, Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo & More
A roundup of news from GSK, Lilly, Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo, Seagen, Triastek, and Eikon Therapeutics. Highlights below.
* GSK To Supply Canada with Flu Vaccines
* Astellas Investing $70 M for Cell, Gene-Therapy Research Center
* Court Awards Seagen $42 M in a Daiichi Sankyo’s Patent-Infringement Case
* Lilly, Triastek in Pact for 3-D Printing for Oral Drug Delivery
* Eikon Therapeutics Expanding Ops to NYC
GSK To Supply Canada with Flu Vaccines
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has signed a four-year agreement through 2026 with the government of Canada to supply up to 80 million doses of Arepanrix, the company’s pandemic influenza vaccine, and a minimum of 4 million doses per year of Flulaval Tetra, GSK’s seasonal influenza vaccine. Both vaccines will be supplied by GSK’s facility in Sainte-Foy, Quebec.
Source: GlaxoSmithKline
Astellas Investing $70 M for Cell, Gene-Therapy Research Center
Astellas Pharma plans to invest approximately $70 million to create a West Coast biotechnology campus in South San Francisco, California, by building a new 154,000-square-foot innovation and research center to support development of cell and gene therapies.
The center will include employees across research, technical operations, medical and development, commercial, and relevant administrative support functions. The center will house employees of Astellas Gene Therapies, Xyphos Biosciences (an Astellas’ subsidiary developing cell therapies for cancer), business development, and Astellas’ Rx+ Business Accelerator, which defines designated growth areas for the company.
Astellas expects to complete the building and be operational in the summer of 2023. Astellas will be the sole occupant of the new building and says that it will spend the next year equipping the interior with research labs, office spaces, and other amenities.
Source: Astellas
Court Awards Seagen $42 M in a Daiichi Sankyo’s Patent-Infringement Case
Daiichi Sankyo has confirmed a judgment of a federal district court in Texas following a jury verdict made in April (April 2022) that awarded $41.8 million in damages to Seagen (formerly Seattle Genetics), a Bothell, Washington-based bio/pharmaceutical company, for patent infringement relating to Daiichi’s Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan), an antibody drug conjugate for treating breast cancer. The case involved Seagen’s patent (US Patent No. 10,808,039) for monomethylvaline compounds capable of conjugation to ligands through various linkers. Although the jury found that Daiichi Sankyo infringed the patent, the court decided that an increase of damages was not warranted and did not enhance the damages award. Daiichi Sankyo says it will explore available post-trial motions and remedies to contest the judgment and the damages awarded to Seagen.
The court has not yet addressed whether to award a running royalty on future sales of Enhertu until the expiry of Seagen’s patent in 2024.
Source: Daiichi Sankyo
Lilly, Triastek in Pact for 3-D Printing for Oral Drug Delivery
Eli Lilly and Company has entered into an agreement with Triastek, a Nanjing, China-based 3D-printing technology platform company for pharmaceuticals, to apply 3D printing technology to enable targeted release of oral drugs in specific regions of the gastrointestinal tract, specifically the intestine.
Triastek will conduct a study of excipient properties and process parameters to maintain drug stability throughout the formulation development and 3D-printing process as well as during drug release. Additionally, it will identify a three-dimensional structure dosage form design to enable programmed release of drugs in specific parts of the intestine, with the goal of improving the bioavailability of orally administered drugs.
Source: Triastek
Eikon Therapeutics Expanding Ops to NYC
Eikon Therapeutics, a Hayward, California-based drug-discovery and development company, has executed a lease to house its new East Coast base of operations, a 25,000-square-foot mixed-use facility in West Harlem, New York, New York. The company is also developing a new 285,000-square-foot global headquarters in Millbrae, California.
Source: Eikon Therapeutics
