
Speaking at ASCO, sanofi-aventis CEO Chris Viehbacher
discussed the drugmaker's oncology pipeline, which has increased in recent years through a series of mergers, acquisitions and licensing deals.
Since 2008, the drugmaker has spent about $9 billion on more than a dozen acquisitions, including 18 oncology projects, and the executive noted that "we continue to shop vigorously.” One such acquisition is that of BiPar Sciences, maker of BSI-201, an experimental cancer drug that Viehbacher noted achieved "stunning" results in a late-stage trial.
Beyond acquiring early-stage treatments, Debasish Roychowdhury, head of sanofi-aventis' oncology unit, said Viehbacher is also seeking licensing deals and acquisitions of new compounds that work in tandem with other cancer drugs.
Last year, the company licensed XL147 from Exelixis, as well as the compound MM-121 from Merrimack Pharmaceuticals. "One of the reasons we wanted these two molecules is that we wanted to build the combination," Roychowdhury said.
Commenting on the strategy, Roychowdhury noted "we’ve had single-agent targeted drugs for a while… Many of the drugs work, but then stop working. These combinations we are developing are essentially trying to get over this resistance mechanism or completely overwhelm the cell."