ImmunoGen, Sanofi-Aventis extend cancer drug research collaboration

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, Aug. 31 - ImmunoGen, Inc. announced Thursday that Sanofi-Aventis has exercised its right to extend the term of its research collaboration on anticancer drug products through Aug. 31, 2008.

ImmunoGen also said that effective Sept. 1, it will no longer be obligated to present new targets for antibody-based anticancer therapeutics to Sanofi-Aventis, enabling the company to be able to use such targets to develop its own proprietary products, according to a company news release.

The companies established the deal in July 2003 and Sanofi-Aventis exercised the first of its two options in August 2005, committing $18.2 million to ImmunoGen. Sanofi-Aventis now has exercised the second option, committing $10.4 million for the final year of the collaboration.

After August 2008, Sanofi-Aventis said it will likely negotiate a license to use ImmunoGen's maytansinoid TAP technology with antibodies to targets that were not part of the collaboration.

ImmunoGen is a Cambridge, Mass., biopharmaceutical company.

Sanofi-Aventis is a Paris pharmaceutical company.

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