Servier has announced that it has acquired CTI BioPharma’s non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma therapy, Pixuvri (pixantrone).
The treatment, which is for adult patients with multiply relapsed or refractory aggressive versions of the disease, was switched once the companies completed an Asset Purchase Agreement, which transferred worldwide rights of the drug to Servier.
Servier commercialised Pixuvri globally, in all countries where the drug was approved under an exclusive license from CTI BioPharma.
The acquisition of Pixuvri is an “important step towards Servier’s long-term strategy to become a key player in oncology,” said Claude Bertrand, executive vice president, global head of R&D at Servier.
The treatment was approved for use in the European Union in June this year, and a further Phase III clinical study, PIX306, was completed to provide additional efficacy data to confirm the benefit of the treatment in patients that had received prior treatment regimens containing rituximab.
Claude continued, “Within oncology, one of our key focuses is haematology, and we now have two medicines that are marketed globally alongside a strong and innovative pipeline of drug candidates which includes CAR-T therapies. As part of our strategy, we are committed to invest 50% of our R&D budget in oncology.”
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a blood cancer that affects the lymphatic system, and can occur in different parts of the body from the lymph nodes in the neck to the liver or spleen, but also in other organs such as the stomach, small bowel, bones, brain, testicles or skin.
