Regeneron, Sanofi in Global Immuno-Oncology Alliance

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi have entered into a new immuno-oncology global collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize new antibody cancer treatments. The companies will jointly develop a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor currently in Phase I and plan to initiate trials in 2016 with new preclinical therapeutic candidates.  
 
Regeneron will receive $640 million upfront, and the companies will invest $1 billion for discovery through proof of concept/Phase IIa of monotherapy and novel combinations of immuno-oncology antibody candidates to be funded 25% by Regeneron ($250 million) and 75% by Sanofi ($750 million). The companies have also committed to equally fund an additional $650 million for development of REGN2810, a PD-1 inhibitor. Also, Sanofi will pay Regeneron a one-time milestone of $375 million should sales of a PD-1 product and any other collaboration antibody exceed $2 billion in any consecutive 12-month period.  
 
“The field of immuno-oncology has shown the potential to dramatically improve outcomes for patients with certain types of cancer. However, the field is still in its very early days,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer, Regeneron and president, Regeneron Labs. “The efficiency and power of our suite of technologies, such as VelocImmune and VelociGene, combined with our human genetics capabilities, uniquely positions the Sanofi-Regeneron Alliance to accelerate the development of potential new immuno-oncology treatment options for cancer patients.”
 
“The Sanofi-Regeneron Alliance has demonstrated its ability to translate cutting-edge science into groundbreaking medicines for patients with serious needs,” said Elias Zerhouni, M.D., president, Global R&D, Sanofi. “With more than eight years of successful collaboration between us, I am confident in our ability to advance these novel programs. In addition to PD-1, the collaboration brings together a range of validated, innovative preclinical programs that have unique potential to help patients either as monotherapy or in combination approaches.”