Strategic Pact Advances PSMA-Targeting VIR-5500

The global strategic collaboration between Astellas Pharma Inc., a global life sciences company, and Vir Biotechnology, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, was announced to advance VIR-5500, an investigational PRO-XTEN dual-masked CD3 T-cell engager (TCE) targeting PSMA for the treatment of prostate cancer. This collaboration aims to accelerate the development of VIR-5500 and strengthen Astellas’ oncology pipeline and prostate cancer leadership.

Chief Strategy Officer Adam Pearson said that it has helped 1.5 million patients with prostate cancer, and we are expanding our deep study as part of our R&D strategy. Expertise in this area combine growing immuno-oncology (IO) pipeline of biologics, including T-cell engagers, uniquely positions and helps us to understand advanced VIR-5500, a potentially best-in-class T-cell engager for prostate cancer.

This collaboration allows Astellas and Vir Biotechnology to combine our expertise and reaffirms our commitment to improve live of people with prostate cancer.

Marianne De Backer, chief executive officer, Vir Biotechnology, said This collaboration has given the company a successful track record advancing therapies across the treatment, building a franchise and delivering value to patients through strategic development with other biotech partners.

It has also enabled more rapid advancement of VIR-5500, which has the potential to benefit a larger number of people living with prostate cancer. It reflects confidence in the PRO-XTEN platform, and it also shares broad potential across multiple solid tumours indication.

VIR-5500 is a potential best-in-class dual-masked Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)-targeting TCE and is currently in Phase 1 development for people with advanced metastatic prostate cancer (NCT05997615).

It combines PSMA and CD3 binding TCE with the PRO-XTEN masking technology, which is designed to keep TCEs masked until they reach the tumour microenvironment, reducing off-target effects and improving the therapeutic index.

In the US, Vir Biotechnology will have the option to co-promote VIR-5500 with Astellas, and profit/loss will be shared equally. Outside the US, Astellas will be exclusively responsible for the commercialisation of VIR-5500.

Astellas is a global life sciences company committed to turning innovative science into value for patients. The company provide transformative therapies in disease, which include oncology, ophthalmology, urology, immunology and women's health.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is focused on powering the immune system to transform lives by discovering and developing medicines for serious infectious diseases and cancer.