Indian CRO GVK Biosciences has signed a deal to co-develop cancer drugs with Onconova Therapeutics, using GVK's discovery platform to advance two of the drugmaker's targets to the clinical stage.
Under the deal, GVK's share of the programs will increase as the process moves forward, eventually reaching a 50-50 split if the partnership reaches certain funding and development milestones, according to the company. Onconova will oversee biology and biomarkers, while GVK will follow up with lead optimization and IND candidate selection.
The outcome-based deal follows a growing trend in the industry, as more and more sponsors want integrated agreements that incentivize CRO buy-in. This partnership demonstrates GVK's flexibility and commitment to innovative models in R&D, CEO Manni Kantipudi said in a statement.
For Pennsylvania-based Onconova, the results-oriented model is ideal, founder E. Premkumar Reddy said. "GVK has a world-class infrastructure and the scientific expertise to support the advancement of these two promising, early-stage programs," Reddy said in a statement. "We are delighted to start this novel relationship with GVK BIO in our search for efficacious targeted therapies for cancer."
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