Kite Pharma gains exclusive rights to NIH TCR-based product candidates

US cancer drug developer Kite Pharma (Nasdaq: KITE) has entered into an exclusive, worldwide license with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) for intellectual property related to T Cell receptor (TCR)-based product candidates directed against MAGE A3 and A3/A6 antigens for the treatment of tumors expressing MAGE, which include lung, pancreatic, gastric, and breast cancers, among others.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), with Steven Rosenberg, chief of surgery at the NCI and a special advisor to Kite, as principal investigator, is currently conducting two Phase I-IIa clinical trials of TCR-based product candidates targeting the MAGE antigens under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Kite and the NCI.

Under the terms of the license agreement, the NIH will receive from Kite an upfront payment and certain clinical, regulatory, and sales milestone payments, as well as royalties on net sales of products covered by the license. Further financial terms were not disclosed.