Aduro BioTech buys all GVAX assets from BioSante; Aspen in talks to buy Merck unit

Aduro BioTech, a privately-held, US venture capital backed biotechnology company, says it has acquired all GVAX assets from US drug developer BioSante Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: BPAX), including intellectual property and cell lines. This acquisition substantially expands Aduro’s immunotherapy portfolio and strengthens its competitive position in the field.

Under its purchase agreement with BioSante, Aduro paid $1 million upfront and has committed to additional milestone and royalty payments after commercialization of GVAX product(s).

Aduro previously licensed two GVAX vaccines, GVAX Pancreas and GVAX Prostate, for use in combination with its Listeria-based vaccines. This new acquisition covers all uses and includes additional vaccines for multiple myeloma and breast and colon cancer and assumes rights to the existing license agreement for GVAX Melanoma. GVAX vaccines are based on human cancer cell lines that are genetically modified to secrete granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), an immune-stimulatory cytokine.