Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and DxS (a wholly owned subsidiary of QIAGEN
N.V.) (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) today announced
that they have entered into an agreement to develop a companion
diagnostic test kit for PF-04948568 (CDX-110), an immunotherapy vaccine
in development for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Financial terms of the diagnostic agreement have not been disclosed.
“We look forward to collaborating with QIAGEN's DxS unit in the
development of this important diagnostic tool that could potentially
help physicians better define the most appropriate treatment for
patients who suffer from glioblastoma multiforme”
On April 16, 2008, Pfizer and Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. entered into an
agreement to grant Pfizer an exclusive worldwide license to PF-04948568
(CDX-110) which is currently in Phase 2 clinical development for the
treatment of newly diagnosed GBM.
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common malignant primary brain tumor
in adults and occurs in around 25,000 patients worldwide each year.
Pfizer’s investigational drug PF-04948568 (CDX-110) is a peptide vaccine
which targets the tumor-specific Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
variant III (EGFRvIII), a mutated form of the epidermal growth factor
receptor that is only present in cancer cells and occurs in 25-40
percent of GBM tumors. The QIAGEN assay is designed to identify those
patients whose tumors express the EGFRvIII mutation, allowing for the
possibility of more targeted and personalized treatment.
The EGFRvIII companion diagnostic will be developed and manufactured at
QIAGEN’s Center of Excellence for Companion Diagnostics in Manchester,
UK. The diagnostic will be a real-time PCR assay used to detect EGFRvIII
RNA in tumor tissue. The assay is designed to offer a simple workflow,
which supports its clinical utility in routine mutation testing.