Cell Genesys/Takeda: Not Quite Validation for Cell Therapy
• By Ellen Licking and Roger Longman
After enduring years of investor and partner skepticism, cell therapy has finally gotten what should be its validating deal: Cell Genesys's $50-million-upfront worldwide alliance with Takeda for Phase III GVAX prostate. But none of the companies who discussed licensing the product focused on the fact that it is a cellular therapy , regarding it as a prostate cancer treatment that happens to be a cellular therapy. Until GVAX delivers definitive and positive Phase III data, other cell therapy companies (like Dendreon and Antigenics) shouldn't get their partnering hopes up.
There is a Charlie Brown quality to cell therapy. After enduring
years of investor and partner skepticism, one of its long-time
players finally signs a major and lucrative worldwide deal with
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. But it
has barely a week to savor the attention: Takeda announces an $8.8
billion acquisition of Takeda Oncology[See Deal]
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