Pierre Fabre Laboratories has acquired Swiss biotechnology company Vertical Bio to gain access to the latter’s VERT-002, a targeted therapy candidate for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with MET mutations or amplification.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed by the France-based Pierre Fabre Laboratories.
VERT-002 is a monoclonal antibody that targets and degrades c-MET, a known disease driver of NSCLC with MET mutations. It is said to have the potential to become a therapeutic option for patients with MET alterations, including resistance settings.
Presently, VERT-002 is completing Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies. Vertical Bio expects to start its first in human studies in 2024.
The acquisition of Vertical Bio and VERT-002 will help the French pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic company to strengthen its oncology discovery pipeline.
Vertical Bio was founded by Versant Ventures from the latter’s Switzerland-based Ridgeline Discovery Engine.
By making use of Ridgeline’s biology capabilities, Vertical Bio has taken VERT-002 from preclinical studies towards an IND submission.
Vertical Bio chairman and Versant managing director Alex Mayweg said: “We are proud of the rapid progress that Vertical Bio made in developing its lead antibody, which represents a potential new option for patients with difficult-to-treat forms of lung cancer.
“Pierre Fabre Laboratories are an ideal partner to take VERT-002 into the clinic and we look forward to the to the continued progress of this differentiated molecule.”
The transaction is anticipated to enable Pierre Fabre Laboratories to further improve its research and development (R&D) portfolio in precision oncology with a product that is ready to enter clinical development phase.
According to its strategy, the pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic firm has made oncology its primary priority in medical care and invests annually around 80% of its R&D budget in this therapeutic area.
Pierre Fabre Laboratories CEO Eric Ducournau said: “We are excited about the acquisition of this biotechnology company and the addition of VERT-002 to reinforce our research and development portfolio in lung cancer.
“This acquisition is another testimony of our commitment to invest in the discovery and development of innovative treatments in precision oncology.”
Earlier this year, Pierre Fabre Laboratories and Scorpion Therapeutics signed a collaborative agreement to jointly develop and market two drug candidates for individuals with EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
Additionally, Pierre Fabre Laboratories anticipates using the full potential of a clinical research programme in NSCLC through its partnership with Pfizer.
