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Novartis Teams Up With Legend, Moving CAR-T Into Solid Tumors

 
• By Alaric DeArment

The Swiss drug maker is licensing multiple DLL3-targeting CAR-Ts from the Chinese biotech, including one already in early clinical development, and will use its T-Charge manufacturing platform.

Novartis signed a licensing deal with Legend Biotech for its DLL3-directed CAR-T therapy candidates. • Source: Shutterstock

Novartis AG took another step toward catching up with its peers in the cell therapy space with a partnership with Legend Biotech Corp. to develop CAR-T cells for solid tumors, particularly lung and neuroendocrine cancers, with one of the licensed candidates already in the clinic.

Legend announced the deal on 13 November, through a subsidiary, whereby Novartis will pay it $100m up front plus clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments of up to $1

Key Takeaways

  • Novartis is paying $100m up front and up to $1.01bn in milestones to Legend to license its DLL3-targeting CAR-Ts for small-cell lung and neuroendrocrine cancers, including the Phase I LB2102.

  • It marks Novartis’s first application of its T-Charge CAR-T platform to a therapy candidate for solid tumors, designed to speed up manufacturing and improve cell quality

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