Novartis expands immuno-oncology portfolio with new acquisition

Novartis has announced a new acquisition deal and licensing agreements that will strengthen its capabilities in the field of immuno-oncology.

The company has agreed to purchase Admune Therapeutics, a move that will give Novartis access to an IL-15 agonist programme that is currently in phase I clinical trials for metastatic cancer.

Meanwhile, a licensing agreement with Palobiofarma provides Novartis with development and commercialisation rights to PBF-509, an adenosine receptor antagonist that is being assessed as a non-small cell lung cancer therapy.

Finally, a deal with XOMA has been agreed, providing development and commercialisation rights to the firm's TGF-beta antibody programmes.

Mark Fishman, president of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, said: "The first wave of immuno-oncology therapies has demonstrated the impact this approach can have in treating certain types of tumours."

Novartis has built a robust portfolio of immuno-oncology programmes, with four candidates currently in clinical studies and five more agents expected to begin trials by the end of 2016.