默沙东收购肿瘤免疫公司Rigontec

https://m.firstwordpharma.com/article/A66FF7AD3BBE9A8028085A41694B2709

默沙东在PD-1之后，又开始布局肿瘤免疫疗法。视黄酸诱导基因 I（retinoic acid-inducible gene I ，RIG-I）通路是先天免疫系统的一部分。作为癌症免疫疗法中的一种新颖而独特的方法，对RIG-I通路的调节可诱导即时的和长期的抗肿瘤免疫。

Rigontec的领先的候选药物RGT100已经启动I/II期临床试验，在实体瘤和淋巴瘤。

原文如下

Merck & Co. agreed to acquire Rigontec for up to 464 million euros ($554 million), including an upfront cash payment of 115 million euros ($137 million) plus potential milestones of as much as 349 million euros ($416 million), the companies announced Wednesday. Merck noted that Rigontec is "a pioneer" in accessing the retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) pathway, part of the innate immune system, to induce both immediate and long-term anti-tumour immunity.

Eric Rubin, Merck Research Laboratories' vice president of early-stage development in clinical oncology, stated "Rigontec's immuno-oncology approach of engaging the innate immune system to safely eliminate cancer cells complements our strategy and our current pipeline," adding that "we are eager to build upon Rigontec's science."

In May, Rigontec said it initiated a Phase I/II study of its RIG-I agonist RGT100 for the treatment of solid tumours and lymphoma. The company has also suggested that in addition to malignant diseases, its RIG-I targeting RNA therapeutics can also be developed to treat infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Commenting on the acquisition, Evercore ISI analyst Umer Raffat said "this is an interesting early-stage deal that has potential synergy with other [immuno-oncology] agents, although there may be some safety concerns related to immune stimulation in general." Raffat also indicated that results from the early-stage testing of RGT100 are expected by the end of 2019.

Last month, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced an agreement to purchase IFM Therapeutics for as much as $2.3 billion, acquiring the latter's pipeline of therapies designed to target innate immune system pathways for the treatment of cancer, autoimmunity and inflammatory disorders.