Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, has entered into a global license and supply agreement with Sanofi, a global healthcare leader, to utilise Captisol in the development and commercialisation of SAR-125844, a potent MET kinase inhibitor.

Under the terms of the license, Ligand will be eligible to receive potential milestone payments, royalties on future net sales and revenue from Captisol material sales. Sanofi will be responsible for all costs related to the programme.

“This represents the progression and expansion of our relationship with Sanofi as they continue to make progress on SAR-125844, a novel, selective MET kinase inhibitor,” commented John Higgins, president and chief executive officer of Ligand.

“Captisol continues to bring significant value to our partners’ programmes and shows great promise in enabling compounds in oncology, CNS, anti-infectives and many other therapy areas.”

Captisol is a patent-protected, chemically modified cyclodextrin with a structure designed to optimise the solubility and stability of drugs. Captisol was invented and initially developed by scientists in the laboratories of Dr. Valentino Stella at the University of Kansas’ Higuchi Biosciences Center for specific use in drug development and formulation. This unique technology has enabled seven FDA-approved products, including Amgen’s Kyprolis, Baxter International’s Nexterone and Merck’s Noxafil IV. There are more than 30 Captisol-enabled products currently in clinical development.

SAR-125844 is a potent, selective and reversible ATP-competitive MET tyrosine kinase inhibitor for intravenous (IV) administration. SAR-125844 recently completed a first-in-human, open-label, non-randomized, single agent, phase 1 study in advanced/refractory solid tumour patients.