Boehringer celebrates progress in immuno-oncology partnerships in 2017

2017 marks a year of significant advancement for Boehringer Ingelheim as it secured a range of external partnerships with the goal of transforming the lives of patients and winning the fight against cancer, the German family-owned drug major has announced.

External partnerships complement Boehringer Ingelheim’s two-pronged research strategy – investigating both cancer cell-directed therapies and immune cell-directed therapies. This multi-faceted approach offers the potential to bring innovative opportunities to the Boehringer Ingelheim oncology portfolio and novel therapies to patients.

“Immuno-oncology is radically shifting the research and treatment landscape in oncology. We believe that the greatest success in difficult-to-treat cancers will be achieved with immuno-oncology and its combination with cancer cell directed therapy, which is why we are committing significant resources in both areas,” said Jonathon Sedgwick, vice president and global head, cancer immunology and immune modulation. “In the immuno-oncology space, Boehringer Ingelheim is poised for the next wave of innovation with clinical phase projects ranging across checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses, cancer vaccines and T-cell engagers. As such, the expansion of our external partnerships is designed to complement our own R&D, push boundaries and foster innovation – all with the goal of bringing medicines of high therapeutic value to patients sooner.”