Japan-based Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503) announced on Friday that it exercised, and closed on its exclusive option to acquire Potenza Therapeutics, Incorporated on 13 December 2018.

This acquisition is the successful result of a collaboration agreement entered into in 2015 to build a range of novel immuno-oncology therapies.

The clinical immuno-oncology therapies developed through this collaboration are also likely to provide a platform for immuno-oncology combinations with Astellas' existing non- immuno-oncology programs for life cycle management and future novel immuno-oncology combinations.

Through the research and development collaboration over the past three and a half years, both firms have discovered and developed three novel investigational new drugs with the potential to treat various cancers that are non-responsive or resistant to the current generation of immuno-oncology therapies. This portfolio of programs targeting immune stimulation, immune checkpoint inhibition, and regulatory T cell function includes ASP8374/PTZ-201, an anti-TIGIT antibody (immune checkpoint inhibitor) and ASP1948/PTZ-329, an anti-NRP1 antibody (Treg function inhibitor), both of which are currently in Phase 1 clinical studies and ASP1951/PTZ-522, a novel format GITR agonistic antibody (T cell priming & costimulation), which has recently achieved IND clearance. After the closing of the deal, Potenza became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astellas, establishing a competitive and fully owned clinical immuno-oncology pipeline.