Angelos M. Stergiou, CEO & chairman of Sellas, said: "The assets we currently hold, mainly Zolpidem for central nervous indications and the WT1 cancer vaccine, initially will be used across five late-stage indications: Zolpidem for Parkinson's Disease and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, and WT1 for Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Mesothelioma, Multiple Myeloma and subsequently ovarian cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer.
PPD's “willingness to offer commercial terms tailored to our specific needs” was also cited as a reason for their selection.
Pipeline
Sellas has an exclusive global collaboration and license agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) for the development, marketing and commercialization of MSK's proprietary WT1 cancer vaccine.
Sellas also holds global rights of Zolpidem for the indications of Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), as well as other basal ganglia disorders.
"We are pleased that Sellas has chosen us as its CRO partner of choice," said Paul Colvin, PPD's executive vice president of global clinical development. "PPD's deep capabilities and consultative approach are instrumental in helping the emerging biotech industry deliver on its pipeline promise. We offer clients proven expertise in neuroscience , oncology and other therapeutic areas. PPD's resources and experience in pharmaceutical development allow us to provide needed support for Sellas' clinical and regulatory activities at each stage of the development of Sellas' two promising assets."
Dr. Miltiadis Sougioultzoglou, executive vice president of Sellas, added: "We strive for strong and effective collaborations and currently have disruptive technologies in our portfolio in blockbuster markets and continue to seek innovative product candidates and technologies that will complement and strengthen our product portfolio."