CAMBRIDGE, UK and CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I July 08, 2021 I F-star Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSTX) (“F-star” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing next generation bispecific immunotherapies to transform the lives of patients with cancer, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with AstraZeneca plc (NASDAQ: AZN) (“AstraZeneca”), under which AstraZeneca will receive global rights to research, develop and commercialize next generation Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) inhibitor compounds.
Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca is granted exclusive access to F-star’s novel preclinical STING inhibitors. AstraZeneca will be responsible for all future research, development and commercialization of the STING inhibitor compounds, and F-star will retain rights to all STING agonists, currently in clinical development for patients with cancer.
Neil Brewis, Chief Scientific Officer of F-star, said, “We are excited to announce this agreement with AstraZeneca to develop these promising drug candidates. STING inhibitors offer enormous potential for new treatments, as STING is known to play a role in activating the innate immune system across a range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We are confident that AstraZeneca can maximize the value of these discovery stage compounds to benefit patients.”
Maria Belvisi, Senior Vice President and Head of Research and Early Development, Respiratory & Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D of AstraZeneca, said, “As part of our bold ambition to develop therapeutic options for patients across immune mediated diseases I am delighted to announce this agreement with F-star to explore novel STING inhibitors. We look forward to advancing our discovery efforts in these areas of high unmet medical need.”
F-star is eligible to receive upfront and near-term payments of up to $12 million. In addition, F-star will be eligible for development and sales milestone payments of over $300 million, as well as single digit percentage royalty payments. Payments received by F-star are subject to a contingent value rights agreement (CVR 2), under which a percentage will be payable to stockholders of F-star that were previously stockholders of Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Spring Bank”) prior to the business combination between F-star and Spring Bank.
About F-star Therapeutics, Inc.
F-star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing tetravalent bispecific antibodies for a paradigm shift in cancer therapy. By developing medicines that seek to block tumor immune evasion, the Company’s goal is to offer patients greater and more durable benefits than current immuno-oncology treatments. Through its proprietary tetravalent, bispecific natural antibody (mAb²™) format, F-star’s mission is to generate highly differentiated best-in-class drug candidates with monoclonal antibody-like manufacturability. For more information visit www.f-star.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
SOURCE: F-star Therapeutics
Post Views: 108
CAMBRIDGE, UK and CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I July 08, 2021 I F-star Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSTX) (“F-star” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing next generation bispecific immunotherapies to transform the lives of patients with cancer, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with AstraZeneca plc (NASDAQ: AZN) (“AstraZeneca”), under which AstraZeneca will receive global rights to research, develop and commercialize next generation Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) inhibitor compounds.
Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca is granted exclusive access to F-star’s novel preclinical STING inhibitors. AstraZeneca will be responsible for all future research, development and commercialization of the STING inhibitor compounds, and F-star will retain rights to all STING agonists, currently in clinical development for patients with cancer.
Neil Brewis, Chief Scientific Officer of F-star, said, “We are excited to announce this agreement with AstraZeneca to develop these promising drug candidates. STING inhibitors offer enormous potential for new treatments, as STING is known to play a role in activating the innate immune system across a range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We are confident that AstraZeneca can maximize the value of these discovery stage compounds to benefit patients.”
Maria Belvisi, Senior Vice President and Head of Research and Early Development, Respiratory & Immunology, BioPharmaceuticals R&D of AstraZeneca, said, “As part of our bold ambition to develop therapeutic options for patients across immune mediated diseases I am delighted to announce this agreement with F-star to explore novel STING inhibitors. We look forward to advancing our discovery efforts in these areas of high unmet medical need.”
F-star is eligible to receive upfront and near-term payments of up to $12 million. In addition, F-star will be eligible for development and sales milestone payments of over $300 million, as well as single digit percentage royalty payments. Payments received by F-star are subject to a contingent value rights agreement (CVR 2), under which a percentage will be payable to stockholders of F-star that were previously stockholders of Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Spring Bank”) prior to the business combination between F-star and Spring Bank.
About F-star Therapeutics, Inc.
F-star is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing tetravalent bispecific antibodies for a paradigm shift in cancer therapy. By developing medicines that seek to block tumor immune evasion, the Company’s goal is to offer patients greater and more durable benefits than current immuno-oncology treatments. Through its proprietary tetravalent, bispecific natural antibody (mAb²™) format, F-star’s mission is to generate highly differentiated best-in-class drug candidates with monoclonal antibody-like manufacturability. For more information visit www.f-star.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
SOURCE: F-star Therapeutics
Post Views: 108
