Bayer enters $252 million Dimension deal
pharmafile | June 24, 2014 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Bayer, dimension, haemophilia, haemophilia a, therapeutics
Bayer HealthCare will pay up to $252 million to Dimension Therapeutics in a deal which sees the companies collaborate on a novel gene therapy for haemophilia A – the most common type of the condition.
The first step will be a Phase I/IIa trial and the German company is paying Dimension $20 million up front, and could also shell out $232 million in possible milestone payments if things go well.
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Dimension’s speciality is the development of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy treatments for rare diseases, and it will be responsible for all pre-clinical development and the trial, with funding from Bayer.
Depending on how this goes, Bayer will take up the reins to conduct the Phase III trial and handle the business of making all regulatory submissions.
There is a need for new products to treat haemophilia, a rare disorder in which patients produce little or no clotting factor, which means they can bleed to death.
Current therapies may require intravenous delivery several times a week, and possibly for the rest of a patient’s life – but the companies believe gene therapy could ‘transform’ this paradigm by inserting a correct version of the faulty gene which is responsible for the disease.
Dimension’s AAV vector technology means systemic intravenous administration of the clotting factor gene in vivo is possible, something which has been shown in pre-clinical studies to target the liver.
This allows for long-lasting expression of FVIII protein at therapeutic levels, and Dimension chief executive Thomas Beck says the firms could develop a therapy “with the potential to significantly change the treatment landscape”.
Bayer will have worldwide rights to commercialise any final product, with Dimension eligible for tiered royalties based on sales.
“Bayer is a worldwide leader in the treatment of haemophilia A and we are highly committed to advancing innovative treatment options for patients with haemophilia A,” adds Andreas Busch, head of global drug discovery at Bayer.
Adam Hill
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