Pfizer is forging ahead with the exploration of options for some early-stage treatments for rare diseases and cancer and focusing on “high-impact” medicines and vaccines, the company says, the options including collaborations with other drug developers for these medicines, or even establishing a new company.
Pfizer intends to look at internally developing rare disease treatments using technologies such as gene editing, while considering external opportunities for early-stage gene therapy programmes and its cancer-focused research facility in Colorado and its gene therapy facility in North Carolina.
That would free the company, which has been investing heavily in its internal pipeline of medicines and striking deals, to boost revenue, to focus its internal portfolio of experimental treatments to areas where the company thinks it is “best-positioned”, reports News24.
Last August, the company announced a $5.4bn deal for sickle cell disease pharmaceutical company Global Blood Therapeutics, months after its $11.6bn deal for Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding.
More recently, reports The Independent, BioNTech struck a deal with Britain to escalate plans to develop mRNA vaccines for cancer patients.
The collaborations will see the company with the government to deliver 10 000 personalised therapies to patients in the UK by 2030.
Under the plans, cancer patients will get early access to trials exploring personalised mRNA therapies, including cancer vaccines. Such vaccines will contain a “genetic blueprint” to stimulate the immune system to attack cancer cells.
The cancer trials could start by the second half of this year, access to the trials being via the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad being developed by NHS England and Genomics England.
The launch pad will help to rapidly identify large numbers of patients who could be eligible for the trials and explore potential vaccines across multiple types of cancer.
The partnership is targeted to help patients with early and late-stage cancers. If successfully developed, cancer vaccines could become part of standard care.
BioNTech plans to invest in a UK Research and Development hub in Cambridge “with an expected capacity of more than 70 highly skilled scientists”.
Steve Barclay, UK Health Secretary, was due to sign a memorandum of understanding with BioNTech last week, and said: “BioNTech helped lead the world on a Covid-19 vaccine and shares our commitment to scientific advancement, innovation and cutting-edge scientific technology".
“This partnership will mean that, from as early as September, our patients will be among the first to participate in trials and tests to provide targeted, personalised and precision treatments using transformative new therapies to both treat the existing cancer and help stop it returning.”
News24 article – Pfizer explores options for some rare disease, cancer drugs (Open access)
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