USA — Janssen Biotech, Inc., an arm of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), has signed a strategic partnership and license deal with Evotec, a German drug maker to develop first-in-class targeted immune-based therapies for oncology.
According to a statement, the collaboration will hinge on Evotec’s integrated drug discovery and manufacturing capabilities.
During the pre-clinical R&D phase, the companies will collaborate closely — and then Janssen will take on full responsibility for both clinical development and commercialization.
In addition to the research funding, Evotec will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, success-based research, and commercial milestones of over US$350 million as well as tiered royalties on products from the partnership.
It is not Evotec’s first collaboration with Big Pharma; the company previously collaborated with Bristol Myers Squibb on a neurodegeneration candidate.
Bristol Myers exercised its option in 2021, paying Evotec US$20 million and accepting responsibility for any future development.
Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson is confident it will meet its target of US$60 billion in pharmaceutical sales by 2025, citing continued growth in its cancer and immune disease drug portfolio, BioPharmadive reports.
The target, first set in late 2021, is 14% higher than the US$52.6 billion in drug sales reported by J&J on Tuesday. And achieving it will necessitate faster growth than the 1.7% increase in sales over 2021’s total.
Darzalex, a multiple myeloma treatment that has become a mainstay in treatment regimens for blood cancer, is sold by J&J.
It has recently received FDA approval for the cell therapy Carvykti and the bispecific antibody Tecvayli in multiple myeloma.
J&J released data in December for another bispecific antibody called talquetamab, which suggested it could be a promising option as well. J&J is researching talquetamab combinations with Tecvayli and Carvykti Duato stated.
Growth in J&J’s cancer drug portfolio will help offset weakness from the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has become a secondary option, and the loss of market exclusivity for the company’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Stelara, which is facing biosimilar competition.
While J&J anticipates steeper sales erosion for Stelara than it did for its inflammatory disease drug Remicade, it does not expect a significant drop this year, instead predicting flat-to-declining U.S. sales.
J&J is counting on its pharmaceutical division to deliver as it prepares to spin off its consumer division into a new standalone company called Kenvue, leaving a slimmed-down J&J that is more reliant on its drug unit.
In 2022, J&J’s consumer division, which sells well-known products such as Tylenol, earned US$14.9 billion in sales, while medical devices earned US$27.4 billion.
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