NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes, LLC, and PeptiDream Inc. announced that PeptiDream’s wholly owned subsidiary PDRadiopharma Inc. has entered into a strategic collaboration with NorthStar for the development, production, and commercialization of radiopharmaceuticals used for therapeutic applications and medical imaging. PDRadiopharma is the leading radiopharmaceutical company in Japan, delivering high-quality radiodiagnostic imaging agents for use in SPECT and PET scans across Japan for more than 50 years, and now as a part of PeptiDream, is focused on bringing to patients the next-generation of targeted radiodiagnostics and radiotherapeutics for the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of cancers.
PeptiDream’s mission and vision is to revolutionize drug discovery and develop the next generation of transformational medicines that will lead to a healthier tomorrow for patients worldwide. “Through this alliance, we aim to utilize NorthStar’s cutting edge innovative technologies and expertise to both support and accelerate our growing internal pipeline of targeted peptide-RI conjugate programs, initially starting with our exciting CA9 program,” said Masato Murakami, President and Representative Director at PDRadiopharma, and Chief Medical Officer at PeptiDream.
Since its establishment in 1968 as a forerunner in the field of radiopharmaceuticals, PDRadiopharma has been manufacturing and providing high-quality diagnostics and therapeutics for patients suffering from brain, heart, and bone diseases, as well as cancer. “Since being acquired by PeptiDream in 2022, we have been working to combine PeptiDream’s world-leading drug discovery technology and capabilities with PDRadiopharma’s expertise in radiopharmaceutical development, manufacturing, and commercialization to develop novel radiotherapeutic treatments for cancer patients where the unmet need is high,” continued Murakami. “Our agreements with NorthStar for research and development services, supply of the isotope Ac-225 and for contract manufacturing services will be an important part of our efforts to bring new medicines to patients who need them and our commitment to stable, reliable product supply.”
Under the terms of the collaboration, NorthStar will:
- Provide PDRadiopharma with an initial statement of work for R&D services for their lead therapeutic asset 225Ac-CA9 (225Ac-PD-32766).
- Utilize its new, state-of-the art contract development and manufacturing facility to provide Ac-225 and manufacture patient doses of novel diagnostics and therapies to serve patients in PDRadiopharma clinical trials, and
- Perform research and development activities to support continued development of PDRadiopharma portfolio assets.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Frank Scholz, President and Chief Executive Officer of NorthStar said, “At NorthStar, our passion is to reduce technological and operational barriers to help companies like PeptiDream and PDRadiopharma develop and reliably manufacture finished, patient-ready drug product for investigators and clinical trials and continue to explore novel therapies for the patients who need new and better medicines. PeptiDream is a global leader in the discovery of targeting peptide-based radioligands and partners with some of the largest, best-known pharmaceutical and biotech companies in these efforts with cutting edge science and deep portfolios, and through its wholly-owned subsidiary PDRadiopharma, is developing a growing pipeline of internal programs, including the company’s promising CA9 program. NorthStar is proud to be supporting PeptiDream and PDRadiopharma to help make new diagnostics and therapeutic medicines a reality for today’s patients.“