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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]

Still, if Takeda’s alliance with Cell Genesys Inc.[See Deal] has now been overshadowed by its Millennium acquisition, the value–and message--of the cell therapy deal remain.

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