Vertex signs licensing agreement with Orum Therapeutics

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has entered into a collaborative agreement with Orum Therapeutics to advance the development of degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs) for gene editing. Through this partnership, Vertex acquires the rights to utilize Orum's Dual-Precision Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD²) technology for DAC research and development. As part of the agreement, Orum will receive an initial payment of $15 million, with Vertex potentially paying up to $310 million per target in option fees and milestone payments for up to three targets.

Vertex will oversee all aspects of research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the DACs created using Orum’s TPD² technology. In turn, Orum will benefit from tiered royalties on future global sales of these DACs.

Vertex has been actively expanding its gene editing and pharmaceutical development efforts, especially following the groundbreaking approval of Casgevy, the first gene-edited cell therapy for sickle cell disease. In addition to this innovative therapy, Vertex has been working on a cystic fibrosis treatment. In May, the company submitted a new drug application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the vanzacaftor triple combination therapy. This cystic fibrosis therapy has already been granted Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations, highlighting its potential significance in treating this genetic disorder.