AstraZeneca pulls pneumonia collab with Aridis over allegations of a missed payment

29 Mar 2023
www.fiercebiotech.com
Phase 3License out/inPhase 2
AstraZeneca’s decision to end their agreement means Aridis has to put a phase 3 study on hold.
AstraZeneca has pulled out of a pneumonia collaboratAridisth Aridis Pharmaceuticals, sending the biotech’s phase 3 plans into a tailspin over the company’s alleged failure to hand over the agreed upfront payment two years ago.
AstraZenecatheir 2021 agreement,pneumoniagreed to pay $11 milAridis Pharmaceuticalseneca’s MedImmune unit for the rights to the monoclonal antibody suvratoxumab. The deal also gave AstraZeneca an equity stake in Aridis and allowed the Big Pharma first negotiations on future licensing, as well as potentially $115 million to follow in milestone payments.
In addition, Aridis secured up toAridisllion euros from the EU Commission’s IAstraZenecaedicines Initiative to support a phase 3 trial for suvratoxusuvratoxumabown as AR-320.AstraZenecaAridis
But it soundsAridisthings haven’t gone to plan. Aridis said it was informed in writing on March 20, 2023, that AstraZeneca had terminated tsuvratoxumabgreement “for noAR-320ent of the upfront cash payment which was due on December 31, 2021.” For its part, Aridis said in the same Securities and Exchange Commission filing yesterday that it “does not agree that it is in material breach of the license agreement.”
Responding in kind, Aridis said that on March 24Aridismune was notified that it was in breach of a section of tAstraZenecag agreement that ensures the AstraZeneca unit provides access to “know-how” relevant to AR-320. Aridis has “requested that the materiaAridisch be cured as soon as possible,” according to yesterday’s filing.
AstraZeneca’s decisiAridisend the agreement means that Aridis has to put its phase 3 study of the therapy on hold, the biotech said. The trial, which iAstraZenecaruiting, was due to enlist over 560 mechanicallyAR-320laAridisults and adolescents to determine the antibody’s ability to prevent nosocomial pneumonia.
AstraZenecaech has contacted AstraZeneca and Aridis forAridiser details of the dispute.nosocomial pneumonia
The breakdown of the suvratoxAstraZenecaent mAridishe continuation of a mixed year for Aridis so far. The company kicked off 2023 with another monoclonal antiboby, dubbed AR-301, flunking a phase 3 trial in patients with bacterial infections. Aridis had touted AR-301 as complementary to suvratoxumab when it signed up the latter therapy from AstraZeneca in 2021.
Better news was to cosuvratoxumabhis month, when AR-501—an inhaled formulation of galliAridisrate—hit its primary and secondary endpoints in a phase 2 trial in cystic fibrAR-301atients with confirmed Pseudomonas aeruginosbacterial infectionsr Aridisial infectioAR-301suvratoxumabAstraZeneca
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