BZL and ATLAB Pharma partner to develop 177Lu-J591 for metastatic prostate cancer treatment

Oct 29 2011

ATLAB Pharma SAS and BZL Biologics LLC have entered into a sublicense agreement to develop ¹⁷⁷Lu-J591 for cancer treatment. It includes exclusive rights to manufacture, develop and commercialize this radiopharmaceutical product worldwide as well as a joint Phase IIB/III clinical validation program.

“Our partner BZL shares our vision that targeted radiotherapy drugs have the unique ability to eradicate micro-metastatic disease at an early stage of cancer progression. We believe that current trials will confirm the 177Lu -J591 survival benefit at the micro-metastatic stage of castrate resistant prostate cancer progression”

¹⁷⁷Lu -J591 has shown a highly attractive efficacy and tolerability profile in phase I and Phase II trials involving 108 patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (M+ CRPC). A large randomized multicenter Phase IIB study is ongoing in CRPC patients with rising PSA but no detectable metastasis (M0 CRPC), a clinical condition affecting more than a million men worldwide, for whom there is no approved therapy.

ATLAB Pharma will fund certain product development and clinical trials.

"¹⁷⁷Lu-J591 has a very good therapeutic profile in metastatic prostate cancer patients, validated by several clinical trials and an exceptional scientific rationale. ¹⁷⁷Lu -J591 has a large market potential in CRPC patients and beyond. We are very happy to join forces with BZL to hasten the development of this unique drug." Dr. Jean-Marc Le Doussal, President of ATLAB Pharma.

"Our partner BZL shares our vision that targeted radiotherapy drugs have the unique ability to eradicate micro-metastatic disease at an early stage of cancer progression. We believe that current trials will confirm the ¹⁷⁷Lu -J591 survival benefit at the micro-metastatic stage of castrate resistant prostate cancer progression" added Dr. Jean-Francois Chatal, Chief Medical Director at ATLAB Pharma.