BioWorld International Correspondent

PARIS - Innate Pharma SAS and Novo Nordisk A/S have decided to refocus their research collaboration on inflammation, following the Danish pharmaceutical company's decision to pull out of oncology this year.

The agreement that Innate, of Marseille, France, and Novo Nordisk, of Copenhagen, Denmark, signed in April 2006 was aimed at developing new drugs targeting natural killer (NK) cells for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.

The two companies previously signed a research, development and licensing agreement in December 2003 for developing new therapeutics for cancer and possibly other diseases.

Novo Nordisk stressed that its decision to exit oncology is not related to the results of its research program to date, saying it will continue ongoing clinical trials of IPH 2101 in cancer until its exit is effective. IPH 2101 is a fully human monoclonal antibody developed by Innate Pharma that Novo Nordisk is testing in a Phase I clinical trial in the indication of acute myeloid leukemia.

The Danish company added that it will continue to provide the R&D funding scheduled under its agreement with Innate. The partners are to hold talks on the terms under which the partnership will be refocused and the status of the rights to products in oncology.

The 2006 agreement provided for the two companies to undertake a wide-ranging R&D program based on Innate Pharma's past discoveries in the field of NK cells, as a result of which its NK cell program became entirely bound up with Novo Nordisk. The deal granted Novo Nordisk exclusive rights to one family of receptor targets expressed by NK cells and provided for it alone to develop and commercialize any products arising from the collaboration.

The Danish company also was to be the exclusive licensee of all drug candidates developed under the agreement, with Innate Pharma retaining some rights to specific niche indications.

As part of the agreement, Novo Nordisk, which already was a minority shareholder in the company, acquired €10 million (US$14.64 million) of additional Innate Pharma stock, which increased its shareholding to 20 percent.

"Refocusing our collaboration with Innate Pharma does not question our strategic partnership with the company and Novo Nordisk is to remain a strategic investor in the company," said Terje Kalland, senior vice president of Novo Nordisk. For his part, Innate Pharma's CEO Hervé Brailly confirmed that NK biology was "very promising" in both the inflammatory and oncology fields.

Innate Pharma has developed product platforms based on three proprietary targets, which have yielded drug candidates with therapeutic potential in cancer, infectious diseases and inflammation. It also is developing a new generation of cytotoxic antibodies specifically targeting certain cancers.

Its lead product, IPH 1101, is undergoing four Phase II clinical trials in oncology and viral hepatitis C.