eFFECTOR Therapeutics and Pfizer Inc. announced an exclusive worldwide license and collaboration agreement to develop small-molecule inhibitors of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), a key oncogenic driver located downstream from both the RAS and PI3K signaling pathways. eIF4E is an effector protein that is activated in a variety of human cancers and is linked to poor prognosis and resistance to certain therapies.
Under terms of the agreement, eFFECTOR will receive a $15 million payment upfront, and will be eligible for additional potential $492M in R&D funding, development and sales milestone payments. eFFECTOR will receive royalties on sales of any products that may result from this collaboration if the program reaches commercialization and has an option to enter into a co-promotion and profit and loss share arrangement in the United States.
“This collaboration underscores the importance of the emerging field of translation regulation as an exciting new therapeutic approach,” said Steve Worland, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of eFFECTOR. “It will leverage our collective development capabilities and Pfizer’s global commercial resources to build momentum around eIF4E inhibitor development and maximize the potential impact for cancer patients. Importantly, we believe that this agreement validates eFFECTOR’s pursuit of eIF4E, which has been a protein of interest for drug development for many years but has been very challenging to develop small molecules to target due to the nature of its binding site.”
“We look forward to working with eFFECTOR with the goal of bringing a promising new therapy to patients with various treatment-refractory cancers,” said Jeff Settleman, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief scientific officer, oncology, worldwide research, development & medical, Pfizer.