Pfizer will jointly develop CAR T therapy possibilities with Allogene

Pfizer and Allogene Therapeutics entered into an asset contribution agreement for Pfizer’s portfolio of assets related to allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapy, an investigational immune cell therapy approach to treating cancer.

Allogene, co-founded and led by former executives of Kite Pharma, is ideally positioned to catalyze the development of this allogeneic cell therapy portfolio. Pfizer views this agreement as an attractive opportunity to support the continued development of allogeneic CAR T therapy in a highly focused and skilled manner.

Allogeneic CAR T cell therapies have the potential to become the next advancement in one of the most powerful anti-cancer agents, eliminating the need to create personalized therapy from a patient’s own cells. These therapies are developed from cells of healthy donors and stored for “off-the-shelf” use in patients, simplifying manufacturing process and reducing waiting time for patients.

“The allogeneic CAR T platform represents a potentially transformative approach to treating cancer, and we are very excited about what the future may hold for this area of research,” said Robert Abraham, Senior Vice President and Group Head, Oncology Research & Development, Pfizer. “We believe that under the strong scientific, clinical development and regulatory expertise of Allogene’s leadership team, the portfolio of CAR T assets contributed by Pfizer will be well-positioned to rapidly advance into potential innovative new therapies, and ultimately to reach patients in need more quickly.”