Seattle Genetics to acquire Cascadian Therapeutics, adding late-stage breast cancer program to its oncology pipeline.
Seattle Genetics, Inc. and Cascadian Therapeutics, Inc. have signed a definitive merger agreement under which Seattle Genetics has agreed to acquire Cascadian Therapeutics. Under the terms of the agreement, Seattle Genetics will pay $10 per share in cash, or approximately $614 million. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies.
Cascadian Therapeutics’ most advanced program is tucatinib, an investigational oral, small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that is highly selective for HER2, a growth factor receptor that is overexpressed in multiple cancers, including breast, colorectal, ovarian, and gastric.
Tucatinib is currently being evaluated in a randomized global pivotal trial called HER2CLIMB for patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer, including patients with or without brain metastases.
Tucatinib has been evaluated as a single agent and in combination with both chemotherapy and other HER2-directed agents including Herceptin (trastuzumab) and Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine). Results from phase 1b trials showed that the combination of tucatinib, capecitabine and trastuzumab was generally well-tolerated and demonstrated clinical activity in patients with and without brain metastases.
The data support the ongoing pivotal trial and the potential role of tucatinib in earlier lines of metastatic breast cancer.
“This acquisition would enhance our late-stage clinical pipeline with a potentially best-in-class, orally available and highly selective TKI for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer,” said Clay Siegall, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Seattle Genetics. “Tucatinib would complement our existing pipeline of targeted cancer therapies, provide a third late-stage opportunity for a commercial product in solid tumors and expand our global efforts in breast cancer.
“It also leverages our broad expertise and resources to advance and expand the tucatinib program for patients,” Siegall continued. “Beyond breast cancer, we believe there may be opportunities for tucatinib in other tumor types, such as HER2-positive metastatic colorectal cancer. Cascadian’s pipeline also includes a preclinical immuno-oncology agent.”
Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, Seattle Genetics will commence a tender offer on or about February 8, 2018 to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Cascadian Therapeutics for $10 per share in cash. This represents a 69 percent premium to the closing price of Cascadian Therapeutics’ common stock on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, and a 139 percent premium to its 30-day volume weighted average stock price.
