Monday, January 30, 2012

Curis gets $10M payment as FDA approves cancer drug

By Rodney H. Brown

Yet another milestone payment has come in for partnering powerhouse Curis Inc., as Genentech gives it $10 million upon FDA approval of a cancer drug.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the OK to market to drug Erivedge (vismodegib) for the treatment of adult with the skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma, but only in patients where it has spread to other parts of the body or returned after surgery or cannot be treated any other way. Genentech and its parent Roche Group will market the drug, which Lexington-based Curis is calling the first for advanced forms of skin cancer.

The drug should be available within a couple of weeks, Curis (Nasdaq: CRIS) said in a release. Genentech is also conducting a Phase 2 trial of Erivedge in patients with operable forms of BCC, having opened that trial for patient enrollment in October 2010. 

Curis got $6 million more from Genentech and Roche for the drug vismodegib from a milestone payment after Roche submitted it to the European Medicines Agency for approval in treating advanced basal cell carcinoma. Curis and Genentech formed a collaboration agreement in 2003, in which Genentech will develop vismodegib, based on small molecule and antibody inhibitors licensed out by Curis.

In November, Curis inked a deal that could bring it up to $4 million from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for help developing Curis’ potential treatment for patients with B-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma.