Ongoing “portfolio prioritisation” efforts at Bristol Myers Squibb have scuppered a deal with Eisai to develop the Japanese pharm’s antibody-drug conjugate farletuzumabecteribulin. Eisai said Monday that it now owns all rights to the folate receptor alpha (FRα)-targeting therapy and will conduct development alone.
Bristol Myers Squibb paid $650 million upfront back in 2021 to co-develop farletuzumabecteribulin, then known as MORAb-202, as part of an alliance potentially worth over $3 billion. The ADC combines Eisai's humanised IgG1 monoclonal antibody farletuzumab, which binds to FRα, with its anticancer agent Halaven (eribulin), using an enzyme cleavable linker.
Farletuzumabecteribulin is currently being evaluated in Phase II studies for non-small-cell lung, ovarian, peritoneal and fallopian tube cancers, as well as a Phase I/II trial for solid tumours. Eisai said Monday that it plans to “accelerate” the development of the agent as a high priority.