AstraZeneca has signed a deal potentially worth up to $6 billion with Daiichi Sankyo for the global development and commercialization for the latter’s DS-1062, a trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2)-directed antibody drug conjugate (ADC), which is being developed for the treatment of multiple tumor types.

Daiichi Sankyo is developing the antibody drug conjugate for multiple tumors that usually express the cell-surface glycoprotein TROP2. According to AstraZeneca, TROP2 is overexpressed in the majority of non-small cell lung cancers and also breast cancers tumor types that have long been a strategic focus for the company.

AstraZeneca and the Japanese pharma company have been collaborating for another antibody drug conjugate ENHERTU.

Pascal Soriot – CEO of AstraZeneca said: “We see significant potential in this antibody drug conjugate in lung as well as in breast and other cancers that commonly express TROP2. We are delighted to enter this new collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo and to build on the successful launch of Enhertu to further expand our pipeline and leadership in Oncology.

“We now have six potential blockbusters in Oncology with more to come in our early and late pipelines.”

AstraZeneca said that DS-1062 by using Daiichi Sankyo’s DXd ADC technology is designed to provide chemotherapy preferentially to cancer cells and to lower systemic exposure. The pharma giant revealed that a comprehensive development program with DS-1062 is planned across the world.

Under the terms of the collaboration, AstraZeneca will pay an upfront payment of $1 billion to Daiichi Sankyo in addition to up to $5 billion, of which $1 billion is for securing regulatory approvals and up to $4 billion for sales-related milestones.

DS-1062 will be developed jointly by AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo worldwide with the exception of Japan where the latter will hold exclusive rights.

Sunao Manabe – Representative Director, President, and CEO of Daiichi Sankyo said: “DS-1062, one of our lead DXd ADCs that will form a pillar of our next mid-term business plan, has the potential to become a best-in-class TROP2 ADC in multiple tumours, including lung and breast cancers.

“This new strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca, a company with extensive experience and significant expertise in the global oncology business, will enable us to deliver DS-1062 to more patients around the world as quickly as possible. As we have done with Enhertu, we will jointly design and implement strategies to maximise the value of DS-1062.”

  AstraZeneca, Breast Cancer, Daiichi Sankyo, DS-1062, Japan, Lung cancer, Oncology, Pascal Soriot, Sunao Manabe, Tumor