Kite Pharma, Inc. KITE has struck yet another deal – the company entered into a collaboration agreement with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for the development of its lead pipeline candidate, KTE-C19, for the treatment of patients with refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Kite Pharma’s shares were up 4.2% following the announcement.
KTE-C19 is being developed as an experimental treatment in which a patient's T cells are genetically modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) designed to target CD19.
Terms of the Deal
Under the deal, LLS will provide up to $2.5 million through its Therapy Acceleration Program to support Kite Pharma's ongoing phase I/II study on KTE-C19. The study is being conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of KTE-C19 in patients suffering from refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) including two rare lymphomas – primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma and transformed follicular lymphoma.
In addition, LLS will start a broad scope educational program focusing on CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of patients with blood cancer as well as help carry out clinical trial enrollment. Based on the progress of the KTE-C19 development program, Kite Pharma has agreed to make certain milestone payments and provide financial support to LLS.
Kite Pharma expects pivotal data from the DLBCL study on KTE-C19 in 2016. Positive results would allow the company to file for approval in the U.S. and potentially launch the candidate in 2017. Apart from the phase I/II study, the company expects to begin three additional studies on KTE-C19 for indications like mantle cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia before 2015 end.
We are positive on this deal. We note that Kite Pharma has been pretty active on the deal-making front. The company recently inked a deal with bluebird bio, Inc. BLUE for the development and commercialization of second generation T cell receptor (TCR) candidates directed against the human papillomavirus type 16 E6 oncoprotein (read more: Kite Pharma and Bluebird Tie Up for HPV Cancer Targets).
The company has even acquired T-Cell Factory to strengthen its TCR product platform.
Kite Pharma currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Some better-ranked stocks in the health care sector are Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ADMS and Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ACHN. Both hold a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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