SAN DIEGO, CA, USA I July 9, 2018 I MabVax Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBVX), a clinical-stage oncology drug development company and Boehringer Ingelheim today announced they have signed an asset acquisition and related agreements centered on MabVax’s program targeting a glycan commonly overexpressed on multiple solid tumor cancers. Boehringer Ingelheim has acquired all rights in and to the program.

MabVax will receive a total of US $11 million in upfront and near-term milestones as well as downstream regulatory milestone payments plus further earn-out payments.  The asset acquisition is separate and distinct from other programs under development at MabVax, enabling MabVax to retain all rights to its lead HuMab-5B1antibody program which is in Phase 1 clinical trials as a therapeutic product and as a diagnostic product, as well as other antibody discovery programs from the Company’s rich antibody discovery portfolio targeting other cancer antigens.

MabVax discovered the antibody series at the center of this transaction from biological samples, originally from patients who were vaccinated against their solid tumors with a glycan antigen-containing vaccine.  The discovery of fully human antibodies directly from vaccinated cancer patients has potential advantages which include greater specificity and reduced toxicities.  MabVax completed and has reported on early preclinical development activities to establish the utility of the program. 

“We are very pleased to have Boehringer Ingelheim as a major industry partner to further develop one of our preclinical antibody assets based on our proprietary HuMab technology,” said David Hansen, President and CEO of MabVax Therapeutics.  “This agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim recognizes the value of our innovative approach to discovering novel antibodies to diagnose and treat cancer. We have been committed since the founding of the Company to discovering and developing unique fully human antibodies to diagnose and treat patients with cancers where there remain significant unmet medical needs.”

About MabVax:

MabVax Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a fully human antibody discovery platform focused on the rapid translation into clinical development of products to address unmet medical needs in the treatment of cancer. Our antibody MVT-5873, is a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) that targets sialyl Lewis A (sLea), an epitope on CA19-9, and is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials as a therapeutic agent for patients with pancreatic cancer and other CA19-9 positive tumors. CA19-9 is expressed in over 90% of pancreatic cancers and in other diseases including small cell lung and GI cancers. CA19-9 plays an important role in tumor adhesion and metastasis, and is a marker of an aggressive cancer phenotype. CA19-9 serum levels are considered a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring of pancreatic cancer. With our collaborators including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Honor Health and Imaging Endpoints, we have treated over 56 patients with either our therapeutic antibody designated as MVT-5873 or our PET imaging diagnostic product designated as MVT-2163 in Phase 1 clinical studies, and demonstrated early safety and specificity for the target. Patient dosing is continuing in Phase 1 clinical studies of MVT-5873 in combination with nab-paclitaxel and gemcitabine to patients newly diagnosed with CA19-9 positive pancreatic cancer, and for the Company’s radioimmunotherapy product MVT-1075. Other discovery programs at MabVax are in preclinical development. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website, www.mabvax.com.

SOURCE: MabVax