Merck & Co has snapped up another early-stage immune-oncology player, agreeing to buy German biotech Rigontec for up to €464m ($554m).
The deal – which includes an upfront payment of €115m – gives Merck a position in another pathway that seems to be involved in the stimulation of immune responses against cancer cells. Rigontec is focusing on the retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) pathway, part of the innate immune system – the nonspecific defence mechanisms that come into play after an infection or disease state – and it has a lead agonist candidate RGT100 in early clinical testing.
Merck & Co is already a big player in the immuno-oncology category with its checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab), and has been steadily adding to its cancer immunotherapy R&D via a series of alliances and acquisitions. Other deals have included the acquisitions of IOmet last year, cCAM Biotherapeutics in 2015 and OncoEthix a year earlier.
The approach ties into the view that combining different ways of modifying the immune system – for example by preventing cancer cells from evading detection and stimulating various forms of immune response to attack them – is the key to generating highly effective and long-term responses in patients, although there is an accompanying risk of harmful over-stimulation.
RIG-I is a novel and distinct approach in cancer immunotherapy, according to Merck, with the potential to induce both immediate and long-term anti-tumour immunity to eliminate cancer cells. In animal models RIG-I targeting drugs have caused local and systemic cancer regression, and also seem to have potential in infectious and inflammatory diseases.
Rigontec was founded in 2014 as a spin-out from the University of Bonn, and in April started a phase I/II trial of RGT1000 – delivered as an intra-tumoural injection – in patients with solid tumours and lymphoma, including a group with liver metastases. Results from the trial are due in 2019, according to the ClinicalTrials.gov register.
“Rigontec’s immuno-oncology approach of engaging the innate immune system to safely eliminate cancer cells complements our strategy and our current pipeline,” said Eric Rubin, vice president of early-stage development, clinical oncology at Merck. “We are eager to build upon Rigontec’s science as we continue our efforts in bringing forward meaningful advances for patients with cancer.”