Our Partners
AVEO has entered multiple types of partnership arrangements with several pharmaceutical and biotech companies:
- In-licensing of targeted, clinical-stage compounds (Kyowa Kirin Pharma)
- Partnering of novel, preclinical, internally-discovered antibodies (Schering-Plough, Biogen Idec)
- Funded research collaborations and application of AVEO’s proprietary technology platform (Merck & Co., OSI Pharmaceuticals)
In December 2006, AVEO entered into a license agreement with Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd. (now Kyowa Hakko Kirin) under which we obtained an exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize tivozanib (f/k/a KRN951), pharmaceutical compositions thereof and associated biomarkers. AVEO’s exclusive license covers all territories in the world, except for Asia.
In March 2007, AVEO entered into an agreement (which became effective in April 2007) with Schering-Plough (now Merck), under which AVEO granted Merck worldwide, exclusive rights to develop and commercialize all of our monoclonal antibody antagonists of hepatocyte growth factor, or HGF, including AV-299. AVEO is currently leading the clinical development of AV-299, which includes the conduct of multiple phase 1 trials and preparation for multiple phase 2 clinical trials, and we are using our Human Response Platform to conduct translational research to guide the clinical development of AV-299.
AVEO / Schering-Plough Partnership Press Release
In March 2009, AVEO entered into an exclusive option and license agreement with Biogen Idec Inc. regarding the development and commercialization of AVEO’s discovery-stage ErbB3-targeted antibodies for the potential treatment and diagnosis of cancer and other diseases outside of the United States, Canada and Mexico. AVEO retains the exclusive right to commercialize ErbB3 antibody products in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
AVEO / Biogen Idec Partnership Press Release
In September 2007, AVEO entered into a collaboration and license agreement with OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which provides for the use of our proprietary in vivo models by our scientists at our facilities, use of AVEO’s bioinformatics tools and other target validation and biomarker research to further develop and advance OSI’s small molecule drug discovery and translational research related to cancer and other diseases. Our strategic partnership with OSI is primarily focused on the identification and validation of genes and targets involved in the processes of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or EMT, or mesenchymal-epithelial transition, or MET, in cancer. EMT/MET processes are of emerging significance in tumor development and disease progression. We are currently working with OSI on the development of proprietary target-driven tumor models for use in target validation, drug screening and biomarker identification to support OSI’s drug discovery and development activities. Key elements of our strategic partnership with OSI include:
- identifying and validating a pre-agreed number of oncology targets for drug discovery, development and commercialization by OSI;
- generating target-driven in vivo mouse tumor models for use in drug screening and biomarker
- validation to support OSI’s drug discovery and translational research activities; and
- applying our Human Response Platform to identify genetic profiles that correlate with drug response to compounds in certain of OSI’s small molecule drug discovery programs.
Original AVEO / OSI Pharmaceuticals Partnership Press Release
Expanded AVEO / OSI Pharmaceuticals Partnership Press Release
In November 2003, AVEO entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Merck to discover and validate oncology targets. During the research program portion of the collaboration, which concluded in November 2006, we used our proprietary cancer models to identify and subsequently validate essential tumor maintenance genes suitable as targets for small molecule drug development. During the research program, Merck exercised its option with respect to, and we granted Merck an exclusive, worldwide license, with the right to grant sublicenses, to six molecular targets, and associated data, discovered and validated by us under the research collaboration, to develop, manufacture and commercialize small molecule products directed to such targets for therapeutic use.