AbbVie has announced that it will be acquiring ImmunoGen for approximately $10.1bn, marking a significant boost to its solid tumour portfolio.
The definitive agreement grants AbbVie access to ImmunoGen’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Elahere (mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx), which received accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration last year to treat platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.
ADCs are a new class of cancer therapies designed to precisely target and kill tumour cells while sparing healthy ones.
Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynaecological cancers in the US, and approximately 20,000 patients are diagnosed with the disease each year.
The FDA’s decision on Elahere, which specifically applies to adults with FRα-positive, platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who have received one to three prior systemic treatment regimens, was based on results from the single-arm SORAYA study.
Positive results from the late-stage MIRASOL confirmatory trial will support a supplemental Biologic License Application submission to the FDA in order to gain full approval for Elahere, as well as an application for use of the drug in the EU.
Ongoing clinical development programmes are also underway to expand into earlier lines of therapy and enter other large patient segments of the ovarian market over the next five to ten years, AbbVie added.
Richard Gonzalez, chairman and chief executive officer, AbbVie, said the acquisition enables the company to “further diversify [its] oncology pipeline across solid tumours and haematologic malignancies”.
“Together, AbbVie and ImmunoGen have the potential to transform the standard of care for people living with cancer,” he said.
Beyond Elahere, ImmunoGen’s portfolio includes an anti-CD123 ADC in mid-stage development for blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, a rare blood cancer, and a phase 1 anti-FRα ADC for ovarian cancer with the potential for expansion into other solid tumour indications.
Mark Enyedy, president and chief executive officer, ImmunoGen, said: “With global commercial infrastructure and deep clinical and regulatory expertise, AbbVie is the right company to accelerate geographic and label expansion and realise the full potential of Elahere as the first and only ADC approved in ovarian cancer.
“The addition of ImmunoGen’s pipeline, platform and expertise to AbbVie’s oncology portfolio is an exciting opportunity for the combined companies to advance innovation in ADCs.”