ImmunoGen receives $2 million milestone payment from Genentech

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., Jan. 31 - ImmunoGen, Inc. said the trastuzumab-DM1 Investigational New Drug application submitted by Genentech to the Food and Drug Administration has become effective. As a result, ImmunoGen will receive a $2 million milestone payment from Genentech, according to a company news release.

Under the agreement, Genentech has an exclusive license to use ImmunoGen's maytansinoid TAP technology with therapeutic antibodies to HER2, including trastuzumab.

In addition to milestone payments, ImmunoGen will receive royalties on the sales of any products that use ImmunoGen's maytansinoid TAP technology. This technology uses tumor-targeting antibodies to deliver a potent, cell-killing agent specifically to cancer cells, the company said.

Genentech is responsible for product development, manufacturing and commercialization.

Trastuzumab-DM1 comprises ImmunoGen's cell-killing agent, DM1, linked to Genentech's therapeutic antibody, trastuzumab. Trastuzumab targets overexpression of the HER2 protein, which is associated with 20% of all breast cancers, according to the release.

"We are delighted to announce this milestone in our collaboration with Genentech," said Mitchel Sayare, ImmunoGen chairman and chief executive officer, in the release.

"Genentech was the first company to license rights to our TAP technology and has evaluated it extensively. This milestone is an important step towards the initiation of clinical testing with trastuzumab-DM1 - the first TAP compound that uses our technology in conjunction with a therapeutic antibody that has demonstrated significant anticancer activity when administered as a naked antibody."

ImmunoGen, based in Cambridge, Mass., develops targeted anticancer biopharmaceuticals.

Genentech is a South San Francisco-based biotechnology company.

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