Novartis taps Oxford BioMedica in $90M immuno-oncology deal

Novartis ($NVS) has expanded its relationship with the U.K.'s Oxford BioMedica, signing a deal worth up to $90 million that will support the drugmaker's efforts in CAR-T immunotherapies. Under the agreement, Novartis will pay $14 million up front to use Oxford's lentivirus delivery vectors in its work on CTL019, a promising new approach to cancer that involves re-engineering a patient's own T cells. Novartis is also making an equity investment in the company, and the three-year agreement entitles Oxford to some undisclosed royalties on future sales of the treatment. More