NEW YORK – Carrick Therapeutics on Thursday said it has received a $35 million investment from Pfizer to support development of its CDK7 inhibitor samuraciclib as a treatment for hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer.
Carrick and Pfizer also struck a deal under which Pfizer will provide global development capabilities and expertise to support a Phase II trial of samuraciclib and fulvestrant involving advanced breast cancer patients who have HR-positive HER2-negative disease and are resistant to CDK4/6 inhibitors. Carrick will retain economic control and ownership of samuraciclib.
"We believe samuraciclib has the potential to play a meaningful role in the treatment of HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer," Chris Boshoff, chief development officer of oncology and rare disease at Pfizer Global Product Development, said in a statement. "Our hope is that Pfizer's development capabilities and expertise in breast cancer and next-generation cyclin dependent kinases, combined with the innovation represented by samuraciclib, will help accelerate the advancement of this potential breakthrough for patients."
In conjunction with the investment, Adam Schayowitz, who heads up breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and melanoma programs at Pfizer Global Product Development, will join Carrick's scientific advisory board.
Also on Thursday, Carrick closed a $25 million Series C financing round with participation from ARCH Venture Partners, Rosetta Capital, Lightstone Ventures, Google Ventures, Cambridge Innovation Capital, and Evotec.
Carrick will use the Series C proceeds to fund its preclinical-stage CDK12/13 inhibitor/Cyclin-K glue-degrader program and ongoing and planned samuraciclib clinical trials. In addition to testing samuraciclib in advanced HR-positive HER2-negative breast cancer, Dublin-based Carrick is also studying the drug in triple-negative breast, castration-resistant prostate, pancreatic, and small-cell lung cancers.