Lupin receives $25 million from AbbVie to initiate Phase 1 clinical trial for blood cancer treatment

Global drug major Lupin has received $25 million from the US-based pharmaceutical company AbbVie Inc. to initiate Phase 1 clinical studies for the development of potential treatment for blood cancers.  

This funding follows the achievement of a key milestone in Lupin's novel MALT1 (Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma Translocation Protein 1) inhibitor program that it announced on Thursday. 

The novel MALT1 inhibitor program, a research and development initiative by Lupin Limited, aims to create a medication that can block the activity of MALT1, a protein associated with certain types of lymphomas.  

By inhibiting MALT1, the program seeks to develop a new drug that can disrupt the growth and survival of cancer cells. This program is a partnership between Lupin Limited and AbbVie Inc., involving the study of the effectiveness and safety of the MALT1 inhibitor through pre-clinical and clinical trials. The goal is to develop an innovative treatment option for hematological cancers. 

Lupin has partnered with AbbVie Inc. to address a range of hematological cancers. Lupin had previously received $30 million from AbbVie for achieving other milestones in the program. “This achievement further validates our ability to successfully develop novel treatments for unmet needs. We look forward to the continued successful development of this important treatment for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers,” said Nilesh Gupta, Managing Director of Lupin.  

Lupin’s Novel Drug Discovery and Development (NDDD) team is focused on building a pipeline of highly differentiated and innovative new chemical entities in the field of oncology. In 2018, Lupin and AbbVie signed a licensing, development, and commercialization agreement for this novel oncology drug intended to treat Hematological Cancers. Lupin's MALT1 inhibitor, developed as part of its oncology pipeline, has previously demonstrated pre-clinical activity both as a single agent and in combination with other treatments.