Servier and Yposkesi announced they have signed a manufacturing service agreement. Servier selected Yposkesi to develop and GMP manufacture lentiviral vectors to support allogenic CAR-T cell technology development.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Yposkesi, whose ability to produce the highest quality of lentiviral vectors in the most robust and sustainable way is in line with the stringent requirements for the industrial production of allogenic CAR-T cell therapy,” said Pierre Venesque, executive vice president industry at Servier. “Allogenic CAR-T cell therapy is a promising new technology with an amazing potential to treat cancer patients.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Servier will have access to Yposkesi’s technology for manufacturing lentiviral vectors, as well as its analytical development and quality assessment resources and capacity. Yposkesi has proven expertise in lentivirus manufacturing with several dozen batches used in clinical trials both in Europe and the US. Servier will draw benefit from this track record in its strategic program.
This partnership has the potential for a longer-term lentiviral vector provision agreement, as Servier progresses towards commercialization.
“Yposkesi is delighted to partner with Servier and bring a meaningful contribution to making its therapeutic innovations a reality for patients,” said Dr. Frederic Revah, chairman of Yposkesi. “Manufacturing is a critical element in the development of gene therapies, where expertise and available capacity are key factors in allowing patient access to these treatments. We aim to deliver true industrial expertise, innovation and support services to accelerate development of these innovative treatments.”
Currently, five treatments are available on the market and the Servier group is developing 12 new therapeutic options. Servier has developed 21 partnerships with academic institutions as well as with industrial partners and/or biotechnology companies. With this broad range of worldwide partners dedicated to innovation in the treatment of cancer, Servier’s research in oncology is focused on therapies aimed at restoring programmed cell death (apoptosis) in cancer cells and on mobilizing the immune system against cancer cells (immuno-oncology).