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news.Boehringer Ingelheim has entered into an exclusive global license and development agreement with CureVac to develop the latter's new investigational therapeutic mRNA vaccine CV9202 to treat lung cancer.
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As part of the €465m deal, Boehringer will start clinical investigation of CV9202 in at least two different lung cancer settings, in combination with afatinib in patients with advanced or metastatic epidermal growth factor (EGFR) mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in combination with chemo-radiation therapy in patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC.
CV9202 is a combination of mRNA molecules coding for six antigens overexpressed in lung cancer and is designed to induce an immune response against the cancer.
The deal will see CureVac receive an upfront payment of €35m and further €430m plus royalties on any eventual sales.
Boehringer Ingelheim chief medical officer professor Klaus Dugi said in the collaboration with CureVac, the company will investigate combining existing treatments with the approach of sustained activation of the immune system.
"With this we hope to be able to develop new treatments and further expand our broad pipeline in lung cancer," Dugi said.
Boehringer’s oncology portfolio includes Giotrif (afatinib), an irreversible ErbB family blocker, approved in a number of markets, including the EU, the US and Japan for the treatment of distinct types of EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC.
CureVac co-founder and CEO Ingmar Hoerr said the collaboration is extremely relevant for the company because, as a biotech enterprise, we rely on collaboration with strong partners for the clinical development and commercialisation of our compounds.
"Cancer immunotherapy represents one of the biggest innovations in cancer treatment of recent times and we are delighted to now be working with Boehringer Ingelheim," Hoerr said.
"The out-licensing and clinical development of our promising therapeutic vaccine CV9202 represents the logical next step in developing this novel treatment for cancer patients and the significant commitment from Boehringer Ingelheim underscores the relevance of the mRNA technology."
Image: Boehringer Ingelheim Center (BIC), the Corporate Headquarters Building in Ingelheim, Germany. Photo: courtesy ofBoehringer Ingelheim GmbH.