Genentech licenses Astex’s breast cancer pipeline in US$490M alliance

GERMANY—Roche is strengthening its long-standing position in breast cancer with a new global research and licensing agreement between its subsidiary, Genentech, and UK-based Astex Pharmaceuticals.

The partnership aims to develop next-generation small-molecule therapies targeting key cell-cycle regulators implicated in breast cancer.

Under the agreement, Roche will pay Astex an upfront fee of US$25 million.

Astex will also qualify for development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments exceeding US$465 million, totaling US$490 million with the upfront payment included.

In addition, Roche will pay tiered royalties on net sales of any medicines that emerge from the collaboration.

In return, Genentech will receive exclusive worldwide rights to compounds from Astex’s breast cancer drug discovery programme.

The two companies will also work together to optimise selective small-molecule compounds before advancing them into preclinical development.

Once potential candidates are identified, Genentech will assume full responsibility for preclinical and clinical development.

It will also oversee regulatory submissions and commercialisation if any therapy reaches the market.

Building on fragment-based drug discovery

Astex’s breast cancer programme originated from a collaborative research initiative involving Newcastle University and Cancer Research Horizons, the innovation arm of Cancer Research UK.

The programme applies fragment-based drug discovery, a technology that identifies small chemical fragments capable of binding to disease targets before refining them into drug candidates.

Michelle Jones, President of Astex Pharmaceuticals, said the company’s scientists had discovered a novel approach to selectively inhibit an important breast cancer target.

 She added that Genentech’s extensive oncology expertise makes it the right partner to accelerate the programme toward clinical development.

Roche’s Boris Zaïtra, Head of Corporate Business Development, said the collaboration reflects the company’s commitment to advancing precision medicines for patients with breast cancer by focusing on areas with significant unmet medical needs.

Part of a broader oncology strategy

The Astex agreement follows a series of strategic investments that have expanded Roche’s oncology portfolio.

Last month, the company signed a collaboration with Nurix Therapeutics worth up to US$2.3 billion to develop the investigational BTK inhibitor bexobrutideg for blood cancers.

Roche has also strengthened its diagnostics business through its agreement to acquire digital pathology specialist PathAI.

The acquisition is expected to enhance AI-powered cancer diagnostics and support the development of precision medicines.

In another recent development, Roche announced positive Phase III results for its investigational KRAS G12C inhibitor divarasib in non-small cell lung cancer.

The therapy outperformed currently approved KRAS G12C inhibitors in progression-free survival, reinforcing the company’s focus on expanding its oncology pipeline across multiple tumour types.