This audio is automatically generated. feedback.
Nimbus Therapeutics 2016 The deal with Gilead Sciences Inc., worth up to $1.2 billion for MASH-related programs, led some to question whether the win was a fluke.
Jeb Kuiper, CEO of Nimbus Therapeutics
Used with permission from Nimbus
“The question was, were we going to be a one-hit wonder like a pop record band, put out one good song and be done, or were we going to have staying power?” said Jeb Kiper, CEO of a Boston-based biotechnology company.
In response to skeptics, the company said in 2023: TYK2 Psoriasis Program It was acquired by Takeda Pharmaceutical for $4 billion. The largest transaction ever for an unapproved drug.
The question now is whether the biotech company, which specializes in novel small molecules against “hard-to-drug targets,” can achieve a trifecta, this time in oncology.
Each program is a separate subsidiary of Nimbus, which was founded during the Great Recession of 2009. That approach has attracted attention and spawned copycats, Mr. Capers said.
“If you visited us, we’d look like any other biotech company,” he says, but on paper, each program is a subsidiary that can be acquired and has “everything we need to move forward.”
After the sale, business will return to normal.
“The day after the transaction, everyone at Nimbus will be back at work to continue work on the remaining part of the pipeline,” he said.
In addition to its two largest deals, Nimbus has had several other successes, including global licensing agreements. Genentech, Research Collaboration and License Agreements Targeting metabolic diseases Eli Lilly and Long-Term Immunology Alliance Partnering with Celgene (now owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb) in 2023 company Secured $210 billion in private funding To fund research into cutting-edge new drug candidates.
Back to Clinic
In addition to its preclinical programs, Nimbus is developing hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), currently called NDI-101150, as a monotherapy or in combination with Merck’s Keytruda for the treatment of solid tumors.
Initial data on 30 patients show that 16.7% benefited from the drug as monotherapy, including one patient with kidney cancer who experienced a complete remission.
“HPK1 inhibition is a promising therapy as it has been shown to activate T cells, B cells and dendritic cells to mount potent anti-tumor responses, whereas currently approved checkpoint inhibitors activate T cells. NDI-101150 is a potent and highly selective HPK1 inhibitor that can significantly suppress tumor growth and make a meaningful difference for patients,” said Nathalie Francimon, PhD, chief medical officer at Nimbus. Written statement.
Nimbus faces competition from cancer-care giants in the emerging HPK1 field, and more companies could become interested. Pfizer said Stopping early-stage HPK1 inhibitors From last year’s pipeline, BeiGene Two candidates listed in Phase 1 For solid tumors.
Kapor wants to maintain the biotech company’s focus on drug discovery and development.
“We continue to work on a range of treatments,” Kapor said, and we’re not just focused on the next big win.
“One of the questions I get asked a lot is, what’s next for TYK2?,” he says. “Once I know that, I’ll stop everything else and focus on that.”
Instead, Nimbus focuses on fundamental goals.
“The answer has always been to do the right thing with the molecule and move it forward,” Capers said. “We let the science evolve and get to the right indication.”
