Pfizer and Sangamo are to collaborate on the commercialisation and development of gene therapy programmes for haemophilia A, including SB-525, one of Sangamo’s four lead product candidates.
Sangamo will receive a $70m upfront payment from Pfizer and will be responsible for conducting the SB-525 phase I-II clinical study and certain manufacturing activities.
For its part Pfizer will be operationally and financially responsible for research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation activities for the rare blood disease candidate and additional products.
Dr Sandy Macrae, Sangamo’s chief executive officer, said: “With a long-standing heritage in rare disease, including haemophilia, Pfizer is an ideal partner for our haemophilia A programme.
“We believe Pfizer’s end-to-end gene therapy capabilities will enable comprehensive development and commercialisation of SB-25, which could potentially benefit haemophilia A patients around the world.”
The California, US-based firm will receive double-digit royalties on net sales and is eligible to receive potential milestone payments of up to $475m from Pfizer, including up to $300m for the development and commercialisation of SB-525 and up to $175m for additional candidates.
Mikael Dolsten, president of worldwide research and development at Pfizer, said: “Sangamo brings deep scientific and technical expertise across multiple genomic platforms, and we look forward to working together to advance this potentially transformative treatment for patients living with haemophilia A.
“We believe SB-525 has the potential to be a best-in-class therapy that may provide patients with stable and durable levels of factor VIII protein with a single administration treatment.”
