The University of Texas MD Anderson and Ipsen, a global biopharmaceutical group, today announced a global licensing and joint development agreement for a pre-clinical oncology drug candidate discovered by researchers in MD Anderson’s Institute for Applied Cancer Science (IACS).

MD Anderson will progress the drug candidate through Phase I clinical development with Ipsen being responsible for further global development and commercialization.

 “We believe this partnership has the potential to deliver a new therapeutic option to our patients,” said Stephen Hahn, M.D., chief medical executive at MD Anderson. “This focus on accelerating the development of efficient treatments is vital to our mission of ending cancer and to providing the very best care we can to those who need it most.”

MD Anderson and Ipsen also will collaborate to conduct additional pre-clinical studies to further explore the potential of the drug candidate’s mode-of-action and expanded indications. The detailed terms of the agreement, including development and commercial milestones and royalties, have not been disclosed.

“We are delighted to be partnering with MD Anderson and the highly accomplished and respected research and development teams at IACS and the Center for Co-Clinical Trials to transform their scientific discoveries into therapeutic options for cancer patients,” said Alex Lebeaut, executive vice president, Research & Development and chief scientific officer, Ipsen. “This is another example of Ipsen’s collaborative, external innovation mind set, where we are partnering with the best scientific and medical establishments to advance patient care in oncology.”