Bayer’s Vividion acquires full rights to novel cancer drug VVD-214

GERMANY—Bayer’s subsidiary, Vividion Therapeutics, has obtained exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize VVD-214, a novel covalent inhibitor targeting Werner helicase (WRN), thereby strengthening its oncology pipeline.

This strategic move builds on a collaboration between Roche and Vividion, which began in 2020 to discover and develop small-molecule therapies for various disease targets.

VVD-214 was discovered and developed jointly by Roche and Vividion under their global partnership and licensing agreement.

By acquiring full rights to VVD-214, Vividion is expanding its portfolio of investigational therapies designed to address cancers and immune disorders with high unmet medical needs.

The mechanism of VVD-214 centers on inhibiting WRN, a DNA repair enzyme that plays a critical role in maintaining genomic stability.

Cancers characterized by microsatellite instability (MSI)—such as certain endometrial, colorectal, gastric, and ovarian cancers—are particularly dependent on WRN for survival.

When WRN is inhibited, these cancer cells accumulate lethal DNA damage, leading to cell death, while healthy cells, which do not rely on WRN in the same way, are largely spared.

This “synthetic lethality” approach offers a promising new treatment avenue for patients whose cancers have become resistant or refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and for whom current options are limited.

Preliminary findings from an ongoing Phase I clinical trial suggest that VVD-214 is well-tolerated and shows early signs of anti-tumor activity.

The study is evaluating VVD-214 both as a standalone therapy and in combination with pembrolizumab, an established immunotherapy, in patients with various solid tumors exhibiting MSI.

The early safety data are encouraging, with most side effects being mild and manageable, and no dose-limiting toxicities reported to date.

Vividion’s CEO, Aleksandra Rizo, emphasized the significance of this milestone, noting that VVD-214 is currently the only clinical-stage covalent inhibitor of WRN in development worldwide.

She expressed enthusiasm about advancing the compound, building on the positive clinical signals observed to date, as part of the company’s mission to transform treatment for patients with cancer and other serious diseases.

Beyond VVD-214, Vividion is also advancing several other oral cancer therapies in Phase I trials, including a KEAP1 activator, a RAS-PI3Kα inhibitor, and a STAT3 inhibitor.

The company continues to leverage its chemoproteomics platform to discover and develop new drug candidates in both immunology and oncology.

The development of WRN inhibitors, such as VVD-214, represents a significant advance in precision oncology.

By exploiting the unique vulnerabilities of MSI cancers, these therapies have the potential to provide durable disease control with fewer side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy.

As research progresses, VVD-214 and similar agents could become vital options for patients with hard-to-treat cancers, offering hope where few alternatives exist.

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