Pharmaceuticals

Pfizer and Allogene link to develop cancer therapies

Pfizer and Allogene have entered into an agreement to develop allogeneic CAR T cell therapies. Financial specifics were not disclosed, but it was revealed that the deal leave Pfizer with a 25 percent stake in Allogene, while Allogene will receive from Pfizer rights to 16 preclinical CAR T assets.

Pfizer said it views the agreement as an attractive opportunity to support the continued development of allogeneic CAR T therapy in a highly focused and skilled manner.

“The allogeneic CAR T platform represents a potentially transformative approach to treating cancer, and we are very excited about what the future may hold for this area of research,” said Robert Abraham, group head, Oncology Research & Development, Pfizer. “We believe that under the strong scientific, clinical development and regulatory expertise of Allogene’s leadership team, the portfolio of CAR T assets contributed by Pfizer will be well-positioned to rapidly advance into potential innovative new therapies, and ultimately to reach patients in need more quickly.”

Allogeneic CAR T cell therapies eliminate the need to create personalised therapy from a patient’s own cells, as they are developed from cells of healthy donors and stored for “off-the-shelf” use, “simplifying manufacturing process and reducing waiting time for patients,” Pfizer noted.