BMS Enters into Agreement that Provides an Exclusive Option to Acquire F-star Alpha and its Novel HER2-Targeted Therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and F-star Alpha have announced that the companies have entered into an agreement that provides BMS the exclusive option to acquire F-star Alpha and gain worldwide rights to its lead asset FS102. FS102 is a novel Phase I ready Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapy in development for the treatment of breast and gastric cancer among a well-defined population of HER2-positive patients who do not respond or become resistant to current therapies.

“This agreement is consistent with our R&D strategy to develop promising treatments that address areas of high unmet medical need, and provides the opportunity to complement our oncology portfolio with a novel targeted therapy,” said Francis Cuss, MB BChir, FRCP, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, BMS. “We look forward to working with F-star and leveraging our broad clinical expertise in oncology to uncover the full potential of FS102.”

“We are thrilled that a company with the oncology experience and expertise of BMS will be advancing our first clinical asset with the potential to provide a significant improvement over the current standard of care for a defined group of patients with HER2-positive cancer,” said John Haurum, CEO at F-star Biotechnology Ltd. “In addition to the important improvement of cancer therapy FS102 may provide to patients, this program also provides validation of the Modular Antibody Technology platform as a powerful engine to discover and rapidly develop novel targeted biologics.”

HER2 is a highly validated target in breast and gastric cancers, and plays a significant role in the growth of tumors and subsequent poor clinical outcome for patients with breast cancer and other solid tumours. Therapies that target HER2 have shown success in improving patient outcomes; however, a high proportion of HER2-positive patients do not respond to currently available treatments, and those who do may eventually develop resistance.

FS102 is a HER2 targeted Fcab that has the potential to eliminate cancer cells through a novel mechanism of action in a biomarker-defined patient population. FS102 works differently than current HER2-targeted therapies, with the potential to overcome resistance that has developed against other HER2-targeted drugs. It binds to a unique site on HER2 and then induces programmed cell death in HER2-positive tumour cells. In preclinical studies, FS102 has demonstrated encouraging efficacy against certain HER2-positive cancers and major regression in tumours, including those that are refractory to treatment with trastuzumab plus pertuzumab.

Under the terms of the agreement, BMS will make payments aggregating to $50 million that consist of an option fee for the right to acquire F-star Alpha, payment for certain rights and licences from F-star Alpha and a clinical milestone payment upon initiation of the Phase I trial. BMS will be responsible for conducting and funding development of FS102 during the option period. BMS can exercise the option to acquire F-star Alpha. in its sole discretion upon its decision to commence a Phase IIb trial. Total aggregate consideration may reach $475 million, which includes the payments aggregating to $50 million, the option exercise fee, and milestone payments upon the commencement of a Phase III clinical trial and regulatory approvals in the US and Europe.