International legal practice Osborne Clarke has advised Biotecnol Limited on a collaboration agreement with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) for early phase experimental immune-oncology treatment for patients with advanced tumours, including cancers.
Under the agreement, Biotecnol and CRUK’s Centre for Drug Development will collaborate to take forward the company’s promising drug, Tb535H, through a Biotecnol-sponsored first-in-man Phase I clinical trial, using Cancer Research UK’s drug development expertise in return for shareholdings in Biotecnol.
The drug is the first to emerge from Biotecnol’s novel antibody development platform, Trisoma®. It is directed against the 5T4/WAIF1 tumour antigen; a protein found on many different solid tumours and is thought to contribute to the spread of cancer cells.
Janita Good, Partner and Head of the life science and healthcare sector at Osborne Clarke, commented: “This is a very exciting collaboration for the life science sector as a whole as well as the ground-breaking field of immune-oncology. CRUK is a top institution and Biotecnol’s new drug development platform will make a huge impact in the lives of those affected by cancer.”
Pedro de Noronha Pissarra, Chief Executive Officer of Biotecnol said: “Working with Osborne Clarke was a great experience. A very solid, enthusiastic and energetic attitude towards the deal and its delivery. Certainly a very client focused mind-set. Their experience and knowledge across various areas was key for the success of these negotiations.”
The Osborne Clarke life science and healthcare sector team that advised on the transaction was led by key client Partner, Dr Janita Good, who was assisted by Associate Katie Carter. Advice was provided on tax matters by Partner Erika Jupe and on incentives by Sue El Hachmi.
Osborne Clarke’s life science and healthcare sector team has a strong track record of providing highly sophisticated advice to biotech clients on cutting-edge issues, across multiple service lines. They work with the biggest pharma and medical devices companies in the market and earlier this year, advised generic pharmaceutical company Actavis UK Limited and Actavis Ireland Limited on its £603m divestment by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (“Teva”) to Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd (“Intas”) pursuant to commitments given to the EU. The transaction called on a wide range of Osborne Clarke specialists to advise on competition and corporate to patent litigation and regulatory matters.
Corporate communications and press contacts
Connect with one of our experts
