Seattle Genetics confirmed that it has changed it’s corporate name to Seagen. According to a statement issued by the company, the new name reflects the company’s expanding global presence and growing therapeutic portfolio.
In the statement, the company says that the evolution of the corporate name reflects the transformation of Seagen as it expands operations globally to bring its marketed medicines to more patients, pursues new indications for approved medicines, and continues to advance its pipeline of novel therapies for solid tumors and blood-related cancers.
Clay Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seagen. Photo courtesy: © 2020 Seagen. used with permission.“The change in our corporate name from Seattle Genetics to Seagen reflects who we are today, as we expand our presence beyond the Pacific Northwest and outside of the United States to support the commercialization of TUKYSA globally,” explained Clay Siegall, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Seagen.
“We have three marketed products and a robust development pipeline of novel targeted product candidates. As we increase our global presence by adding new team members and locations outside of the United States as well as through strategic partnerships, we are better positioned to bring important new therapies to cancer patients around the world. Our passion for helping patients is stronger than ever,” Siegal added.
Antibody-drug conjugates
Seagen is focused on discovering safe and effective novel therapeutics to advance cancer care. As a pioneer in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), Seagen has been a leader in novel cancer therapeutics for more than 20 years.
Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris®) is approved in over 70 countries around the world and continues to make a difference in the lives of patients with several types of lymphomas. In the last year, Seagen successfully launched two new cancer medicines that address significant unmet medical needs, including enfortumab vedotin (Padcev®), developed in collaboration with Astellas, was the first ADC approved for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy and a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor.
Beyond ADCs
Tucatinib (Tukysa®) was approved in the U.S. for metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer following an expedited U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Tucatinib has also received approval in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and Switzerland under the Project Orbis initiative of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence and is under review with the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The company also recently entered into two strategic collaborations with Merck (MSD) that will accelerate and broaden the global development of the investigational ADC ladiratuzumab vedotin an investigational antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting LIV-1, which is currently in phase II clinical trials for breast cancer and other solid tumors, and the commercialization of tucatinib in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and other regions outside of the U.S., Canada, and Europe. These strategic collaborations will further expand Seagen’s global presence in oncology and the ability to deliver cancer medicines around the world.
Drug description
Ladiratuzumab vedotin [Drug map]
Highlights of prescribing information
Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris®; Seagen) [Prescribing Information]
Enfortumab vedotin (Padcev®; Astellas) [Prescribing Information]
Tucatinib (Tukysa®; Seattle Genetics) [Prescribing Information]
Reference
[1] Merck & Co and Seattle Genetics Sign Exclusive Licensing and Co-Development Agreement | ADC Review | Journal of Antibody-drug Conjugates, September 14, 2020 [Article]
Featured Image: Seattle Genetics/Seagen Headquarters in Bothel, Washington State. Photo courtesy: © 2020 Seagen. used with permission.
