Oncology: Orion teams up with Wi2

Under the agreement with the Wisconsin Technology Innovation Initiative (Wi2), Orion Corporation will develop drug candidates against novel cancer targets that were identified and prevalidated at University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison (UW-Madison). The Helsinki-based company said that each of the partners will cover their own costs throughout the R&D collaboration. All incomes from joint projects will be shared according to the R&D investment made  previously.

“We are excited about partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is recognised for its scientific excellence in the field of oncology,” said Orion CMO Reijo Salonen. On top of outstanding research capabilities, the UW-Madison campus provides an infrastructure for conducting Phase IIA studies. According to Salonen, the combination of Orions capabilities in drug development and the US partner’s know-how and infrastructure would provide “a great opportunity to find and develop new treatments for patients suffering from oncological diseases.”

Wi2 is the tech transfer unit of University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School, which will share its expertise in target discovery and validation, biological testing and conducting clinical Phase IIA studies. Among US public universities, UW-Madison ranks 6th in research expenditures (2016), and 7th for patents issued annually.  

Orion’s oncology therapy area has been growing remarkably and the company has three promising development projects ongoing in the field of oncology: ODM-201 an androgen-receptor blocker is in Phase II/III testing for prostate cancer. Phase II-candidate ODM 203 targets both the VEGF and the FGF receptor proteins in solid tumours. And the BET protein inhibitor ODM207 is currently undergoing Phase I safety testing. Proteins of the BET family are common in several blood cancers and solid tumours.

Orion’s net sales in 2015 amounted to €1,016m and the company had about 3,400 employees. Orion’s A and B shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.