Novartis strikes cancer deals with Admune, Palobiofarma

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) bolstered its immuno-oncology pipeline with a pair of deals. The pharma acquired Admune Therapeutics LLC (Danvers, Mass.) and obtained exclusive, worldwide rights to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) candidate PBF-509 from Palobiofarma S.L. (Barcelona, Spain).

Admune's lead candidate is hetIL-15, a complex of IL-15 with a cleaved soluble form of IL-15 receptor alpha chain ( IL-15RA). President and CEO Sergio Finkielsztein told BioCentury that Admune will likely have data in the next 9-12 months from an ongoing Phase I study of hetIL-15 to treat metastatic cancers. Both Admune and Novartis declined to disclose financial terms of the deal (see BioCentury, May 4, 2015). ...