Eisai subsidiary announces prostate cancer license agreement

Morphotek, a subsidiary of Eisai, has signed a license agreement with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to acquire the rights to a monoclonal antibody for a novel antigen.

The company said it will use its proprietary Morphodoma antibody technology together with the antibody to develop innovative human therapeutic antibodies for use in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Researchers at the NCI have engaged in the basic research of tumour cell biology and discovered a number of proteins whose expression is restricted to malignant cells following.

It has identified monoclonal antibodies that can bind to an antigen specific for prostate cells and prostate adenocarcinomas.

This agreement is the second signed by the company and the NCI to expand their work to develop new drugs to treat prostate cancer, with these efforts consistent with the human healthcare mission of Eisai.

Nicholas C Nicolaides, president and chief executive officer of Morphotek, said: “This agreement represents another important milestone in our efforts to expand our antibody portfolio.”

He added the company remains dedicated to progressing monoclonal antibody therapies for clinical development in this area, which could potentially provide a new treatment option to prostate cancer patients.

In May 2008, Eisai announced the appointment of Cynthia Schwalm as president of its commercial manufacturing and marketing arm Eisai Inc, with Ms Schwalsm assuming responsibility for all pharmaceutical operations at he company.