Gilead boosts ADC portfolio via licensing deal with Tubulis

US antiviral giant Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) has entered into an exclusive option and license agreement with Germany’s Tubulis to discover and develop an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) against a solid tumor target.

Through this agreement, Gilead will gain access to Tubulis’ proprietary Tubutecan and Alco5 platforms. The companies will collaborate to select the best technology to utilize, with Tubulis leading discovery and development efforts to design a Topoisomerase I inhibitor-based ADC candidate with superior biophysical properties and stability to address current treatment challenges such as durability and off-target toxicity.

Gilead’s leading ADC drug Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy), despite strong sales in breast cancer, has disappointed in advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer, leading the company to withdraw its US accelerated approval indication.