Gilead has found a potential friend for breast cancer med Trodelvy in PARP1 and MK2 inhibitorMK2 inhibitor specialist XinThera, which will now come under the Big Pharma's wing.
The acquisition will add to Gilead’s stable of well-validated targets in oncology and inflammation and bolster its early-stage pipeline, according to a Tuesday press release. Gilead did not disclose the price paid for the privately-held biotech. XinThera previously raised $50 million in an August 2021 series B, bringing its total raise at that time to $80 million.
Gilead is most interested in XinThera’s PARP1 for cancer and MK2 for inflammatory diseases, both programs with small molecules that could enter the clinic this year. Gilead hopes the candidates could provide for multiple indications.
But use has been limited due to toxicities, according to Gilead. XinThera’s candidate offers a more selective PARP1 inhibitorPARP1 inhibitor that could lessen the hematological toxicities and perhaps be paired with other chemotherapies or targeted therapies. Gilead name-checked its own Trodelvy as a potential combo option. The therapy just received a new FDA nod in pretreated HR-positive/HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer.
Gilead is ramping up R&D, including a 25% bump in spending during the first quarter. Last year, the Big Pharma laid out a plan to generate one-third of its revenues from oncology products by 2030.