Global Blood Therapeutics buys rights to inclacumab

Roche had been developing their monoclonal antibody inclacumab for the treatment of coronary artery disease, but stopped after phase II trials. Now Global Blood Therapeutics has bought the rights to inclacumab and intend to develop, manufacture and commercialise it across the world for the treatment of vaso-occlusive crises in patients with sickle cell disease. Milestone payments for Roche could be in the region of $125m, on top of an advance payment of $2m and royalties from sales.

Ted Love, GBT’s president and CEO said: “Inclacumab is an ideal complement to voxelotor, our lead investigational oral, once-daily therapy, in Phase III clinical development for SCD. Like voxelotor, inclacumab has a strong scientific rationale and has the potential to provide significant clinical benefit for SCD patients.”