Roche Terminates Cancer Drug Pact With Repare Therapeutics, Its Second Walkout Within A Month

Tuesday, Repare Therapeutics Inc RPTX announced to regain global development and commercialization rights to camonsertib (RP-3500), following termination of its collaboration agreement with Roche Holdings AG RHHBY.

Roche notified Repare that, effective May 7, 2024, it is terminating its worldwide license and collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of camonsertib following a review of Roche’s pipeline and evolving external factors.

Also Read: Repare Therapeutics Releases Early Anticancer Activity From Its Monotherapy, Combination Trials.

Camonsertib is also part of Repare’s ongoing Phase 1 MYTHIC trial evaluating the combination of camonsertib and lunresertib, a first-in-class, oral small molecule inhibitor of PKMYT1, in patients with molecularly selected, advanced solid tumors. 

In October 2023, Repare presented data on the camonsertib and lunresertib combination, demonstrating an overall response of 33.3% across all tumor types and 50% RECIST objective response in patients with heavily pre-treated gynecologic tumors at the preliminary recommended Phase 2 dose of the combination. 

Repare expects to report additional camonsertib and lunresertib combination therapy data from the expansion cohorts of this trial in the second half of 2024. ​

Repare has met all obligations under the Roche agreement and recently earned a $40 million milestone payment from Roche. 

Repare continues to expect that its existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities will provide sufficient capital to fund planned operations into mid-2026.

In January, Roche terminated the collaboration and licensing agreement for HOOKIPA Pharma Inc’s HOOK HB-700 program in KRAS mutated cancers. Effective April 25, 2024, HOOKIPA will regain full control. 

Price Action: RPTX shares are down 10.8% at $7.50 premarket on the last check Tuesday.