GSK pens $1.3B Hutchmed deal for early

GSK is handing over $110 million upfront to Hutchmed in a deal worth up to $1.295 billion to get its hands on a first-in-class oncology med. That asset is HMPL-A830, a preclinical KRAS-EGFR-antibody conjugate that is slated to enter trials later this year. The deal gives the British Big Pharma worldwide rights to develop and sell the therapy—but excludes Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. HMPL-A830 works by delivering a KRAS inhibitor directly to EGFR-expressing tumors. At the same, it also blocks EGFR and KRAS signaling to “enhance efficacy, durability, and tolerability,” the companies said in a release. Clinical development of the asset will initially revolve around colorectal, pancreatic and lung cancer indications, with the pair noting that those malignancies "have the highest incidence of patients with KRAS-altered tumors.” Under the deal, Hutchmed will work on Phase 1 trials, with GSK then taking over all R&D responsibilities and commercialization outside of select territories in Asia. “This agreement reflects GSK’s growing leadership across oncology and our commitment to advance the latest innovation for patients living with cancer,” said Hesham Abdullah, M.D., Senior Vice President, Global Head Oncology, R&D, GSK, in the release. “The dual KRAS-EGFR mechanism of HMPL-A830 has the potential to significantly improve upon current standard of care," he added. KRAS was once deemed an undruggable target, but wins have started to crop up in the space over the past few years. The biggest was for Bristol Myers Squibb’s Krazati, which has gained accelerated FDA approvals in non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Whether BMS can turn that latter accelerated nod into a full approval is in now question though, after a confirmatory trial failed to meet its survival goals earlier this summer. EGFR-expressing tumors are more often found in certain NSCLC, head and neck and brain tumors. Specific drugs for these mutations include older medicines such as AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso and Iressa, plus Cheplapharm’s (formerly Roche’s) Tarceva.