Basilea has signed an asset purchase agreement with the Glioblastoma Foundation for the company鈥檚 glioblastoma candidate, lisavanbulin (BAL101553).
Under the terms of the deal, Basilea will sell and transfer all rights for lisavanbulin to the charitable organisation for an undisclosed initial purchase cost. In the future, Basilea will continue to take part in any potential commercial partnerships at a fixed double-digit percentage. The Glioblastoma Foundation plans to take over lisavanbuilin鈥檚 post-access trial programme, allowing patients from previous clinical studies to continue receiving the drug. The charity will also oversee any further clinical studies investigating the use of lisavanbulin in glioblastoma.
Lisavanbulin is a checkpoint inhibitor that binds to tubulin, which blocks the cell cycle and triggers cell death in cancer cells. The company was developing the drug for brain cancer, and the drug even received an US Food and Drug Administration orphan drug designation in 2021 for the treatment of malignant glioma, a type of brain cancer.
However, after a disappointing Phase I/II trial (NCT02490800) readout, the Swiss pharmaceutical company decided not to expand the glioblastoma patient cohort for lisavanbulin in 2022. In the open-label study of nine patients with measurable disease at stage one, one patient demonstrated a partial response to lisavanbulin whilst another showed a 44% target lesion area reduction, as per an American Society of Clinical Oncology 2023 abstract. However, despite sustained activity in these subjects, they were unable to meet formal stage transition criteria leading to an early study completion.
are fast-growing brain tumours that are commonly treated through surgery radiotherapy and chemotherapy. According to the American Brain Tumor Association, glioblastomas make up approximately 14% of all primary brain tumors, with 12,000 cases diagnosed each year in the US.
In a 20 June press release, Dr Gita Kwatra, the Glioblastoma Foundation鈥檚 CEO, said, 鈥淲e strongly believe that lisavanbulin will be effective in a subset of glioblastoma patients and we are looking forward to initiating clinical trials of lisavanbulin in the US.鈥�
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThe recent announcement marks Basilea鈥檚 second publicly declared deal of 2024. In January 2024, the company signed an agreement with Spexis to acquire its preclinical antibiotics programme. Before this, in October 2024, Basilea sought out a partner for its antibiotic ceftobiprole.
