In June 2011, Rigel entered into an exclusive, worldwide research, development and commercialization agreement with BerGenBio for its investigational AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) inhibitor, R428 (now referred to as bemcentinib).
Bemcentinib is a potent, selective and orally bioavailable AXL inhibitor and the furthest along in clinical trials.
BerGenBio is a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for aggressive diseases, including immune-evasive, therapy resistant cancers. In preclinical studies, bemcentinib was shown to have an effect as a single agent therapeutic in the prevention and reversal of acquired resistance to standard of care cytotoxics and targeted therapies and may also slow or prevent tumor metastasis.
Rigel received an upfront payment and is eligible for milestone payments and potential sublicensing revenue, as well as tiered royalty payments on any future net sales of products emerging from the collaboration.
Development of bemcentinib:
- In October 2022, BerGenBio announced the initiation of a Phase 1b/2a trial evaluating bemcentinib in combination with the current standard of care, checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab and doublet chemotherapy, for the treatment of 1st line non-small cell lung cancer patients harboring STK11 mutations.
- The product is also being investigated in Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with AML and COVID-19.