SIENA, Italy, January 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Philogen S.p.A., today announced that Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE)
has exercised options granted under the agreement established in
December 2014 for the potential
development and commercialization of multiple antibody drug
conjugates (ADCs).
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Philogen is a biotechnology company developing targeted
therapies with precise specificity in certain diseases
characterised by angiogenesis. "We are delighted to confirm that
the exploratory phase of the initiative to combine Philogen's
validated antibodies with Pfizer's extensive chemistry capabilities
has transitioned to the licensed phase," commented Dr. Duccio Neri, Philogen's CEO. "This agreement
with Pfizer supports the industry's mounting interest in ADCs
technologies."
"This next phase of the agreement with Philogen reflects
Pfizer's commitment to advance ADC technologies and underscores
their potential to accelerate the delivery of innovative new
medicines for cancer patients," said Robert
Abraham, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of Pfizer's
Oncology-Rinat Research & Development Group.
Pfizer now has exclusive rights to pursue development of certain
ADCs and targeted technologies and is responsible for research and
development and potential commercialization of candidate molecules.
Separately, in January 2013 Philogen
and Pfizer entered into an exclusive license agreement regarding
the 'armed antibody' Dekavil, under which Pfizer is exploring the
activity of Dekavil for autoimmune diseases.
About Philogen
Philogen is a clinical-stage biotechnology company engaged in
the discovery and development of novel biopharmaceutical products.
Philogen's strategy is to deliver bioactive agents, for example
cytokines or drugs to the site of disease using antibodies and
ligands that specifically and efficiently target stromal antigens.
This technology has generated a strong proprietary pipeline of five
Phase I/II drugs and also pre-clinical compounds in an array of
disease indications. Philogen is headquartered in Siena,
Italy, and has research activities
at its subsidiary company Philochem in Zürich, Switzerland. Philogen is independently owned,
and has signed agreements with several major pharmaceutical
companies. For more information please visit
http://www.philogen.com
SOURCE Philogen S.p.A.