Ichnos Sciences has secured a buyer for its OX40 eczema program, with Astria Therapeutics entering the scene by paying an upfront fee of $15 million to participate in the competitive race led by Amgen and Sanofi.
Ichnos, based in New Jersey, has been seeking a partner for its OX40 program for quite some time, ever since it spun off from Glenmark in 2019. While it has been actively searching for a partner, Ichnos has observed significant developments in the field, such as Sanofi’s acquisition of an OX40 candidate through its takeover of Kymab for $1.1 billion and Amgen’s $400 million upfront payment to Kyowa Kirin for entry into the OX40 space.
Ichnos has now finalized a deal, albeit without commanding the high prices paid by major pharmaceutical companies. The agreement structure involves an upfront payment of $15 million, with an additional $20 million in clinical milestones and the potential for $285 million in regulatory and commercial milestones, reflecting Astria’s preferences.
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“We are very proud to add such a strong program to our company that supports our vision of strategic growth for the future. We are building a pipeline of potential first-choice products that can improve the health and outcomes for allergy and immunology patients. We believe STAR-0310 is a perfect complement to STAR-0215. The initial results from the Phase 1a trial support investigating STAR-0215 in hereditary angioedema (HAE) patients and also suggest that there could be an opportunity to dose STAR-0215 every three or six months. Additionally, the Phase 1b/2 trial in HAE patients is on-track and enrolling the third and final cohort, with initial proof-of-concept results expected mid-2024. We expect to initiate a pivotal Phase 3 trial in Q1 2025, assuming positive Phase 1b/2 results. We believe our pipeline has the potential to deliver significant benefit to patients with validated mechanisms and potential best-in-class profiles.”
– Jill C. Milne, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Astria Therapeutics
While Ichnos completed a phase 2 trial of its leading OX40-targeting candidate, telazorlimab, in 2021, this candidate receives minimal mention in Astria’s announcement of the deal. Astria is licensing the entire OX40 portfolio, but its primary focus is on STAR-0310, a preclinical program anticipated to enter human testing in early 2025.
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This timeline places Astria several years behind the frontrunners. Over the past 16 months, Amgen has initiated seven phase 3 clinical trials of its candidate, rocatinlimab, while Sanofi reported positive phase 2b data in June. In contrast, the first clinical data for STAR-0310 in healthy volunteers are not expected until the third quarter of 2025, by which time Amgen could already have phase 3 data on rocatinlimab.
Astria’s decision to concentrate on a preclinical program, instead of advancing telazorlimab into late-phase studies, could offer a distinct candidate. The biotech views STAR-0310 as a best-in-class prospect, emphasizing its use of half-life extension technology, which could reduce dosing frequency, along with early signs of strong affinity, safety, and tolerability as compelling reasons for its choice.
