Ventana to develop companion diagnostic for Adcetris
Seattle Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN) and Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. partnered with Ventana Medical Systems Inc. to develop and commercialize a companion diagnostic for cancer drug Adcetris brentuximab vedotin. The partners said the molecular diagnostic will identify patients who might respond to treatment with Adcetris based on CD30 expression levels in tissue specimens. Adcetris is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) composed of an anti-CD30 mAb and monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). Seattle Genetics and Millennium will use the diagnostic in two planned Phase III trials of Adcetris to treat CD30-positive cutaneous T cell lymphoma and CD30-positive mature T cell lymphomas. The trials are slated to start by mid-year and by late 2012 or early 2013, respectively. Financial details were not disclosed. Ventana is a unit of Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY), while Millennium is a unit of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo:4502). Seattle Genetics was up $0.31 to $19.08 on Thursday. ...