On December 6, 2017 Ayala Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing targeted cancer therapies, reported that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb for two gamma secretase inhibitors in development for the treatment of cancers with altered Notch genes (Press release, Ayala Pharmaceuticals, DEC 6, 2017, View Source [SID1234522417]).
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Under the terms of the license agreement, Ayala will have exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights for BMS-906024 and BMS-986115, two gamma secretase inhibitors previously developed by BMS as a Notch inhibitor for oncology indications. In connection with the license, BMS received an upfront payment, became a shareholder of Ayala, and is eligible to receive certain development, regulatory, and sales-based milestones, as well as tiered annual net sales royalties. Ayala is responsible for all future development and commercialization of BMS-906024 and BMS-986115.
Israel Biotech Fund identified the opportunity, led the due diligence and syndicated with aMoon and Harel Insurance in 2017 to form Ayala. The new company intends to develop BMS-906024 as a precision medicine for niche orphan patient populations harboring Notch activating mutations.
"We believe BMS-906024 is the best in class gamma secretase inhibitor," said Ayala’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, David Sidransky, MD. "Although most Notch targeted clinical trials have traditionally recruited non-selected populations, our approach is to target patients with specific Notch alterations whose tumors are expected to respond directly to this treatment." Dr. Sidransky is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Israel Biotech Fund. He was Vice Chairman of ImClone Systems until its acquisition by Eli Lilly and the chairman and board member of several NASDAQ listed biotech companies.
"This is an exciting opportunity in personalized therapy for Oncology, bringing new hope to cancer patients with no approved treatment options," said Roni Mamluk, PhD, CEO at Ayala. "We plan to initiate phase 2 clinical trials in 2018." Roni Mamluk, is the former CEO of Chiasma and a member of its board of directors.
"Partnering with Ayala allows for the continued development of BMS-906024 and BMS-986115 and demonstrates our commitment to seeking opportunities that enable the continued development of drug candidates that might benefit certain patients," said Tim Reilly, Vice President, Head of Early Oncology Development at BMS. "Dr. Sidransky and Ayala are strategically positioned to focus their resources on the targeted development of these candidates for the treatment of cancers with altered Notch genes."