Endocyte

{{short description|American pharmaceutical company}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Endocyte

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| type = Subsidiary

| traded_as = {{NASDAQ was|ECYT}}

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| key_people = Mike Sherman (president and CEO)

| industry = Biopharmaceutical

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| num_employees = 78

| parent = Novartis

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| homepage = {{URL|https://www.endocyte.com}}

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| foundation = {{Start date and age|1996}}

| location_city = West Lafayette, Indiana

| location_country = United States

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Endocyte is a biopharmaceutical company established in 1996 and headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana,{{cite journal |last1=Potera |first1=Carol |title=Exploiting Folate Pathways to Treat Cancer: Endocyte Uses an Imaging Agent to Select Patients Likely to Respond to Its Therapies |journal=Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News |date=April 2013 |volume=33 |issue=7 |pages=12, 14 |doi=10.1089/gen.33.7.03 }} a resident of the Purdue Research Park.{{Citation

|title=Clinical Trials Update |year=2009 |author= |journal=Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News |page=58 |volume=29 |issue=8 }} In 2011 the company completed successfully an initial public offering (IPO).{{cite news |last1=Rapaport |first1=Lisa |last2=Spears |first2=Lee |title=Drugmaker Endocyte Rises 29% After Initial Public Offering |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-02-03/cancer-drug-developer-endocyte-drops-price-for-initial-public-offering |work=Bloomberg |date=4 February 2011 }} {{As of|2013}}, the company had 93 employees. The original president and CEO, Ron Ellis, was succeeded by Mike Sherman, who held a CFO position at the company before this change in June 2016. In 2018 the company was acquired by Novartis.{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Nick Paul |date=2018-10-18 |title=Novartis inks $2.1B Endocyte buyout, furthering radiotherapy push |url=https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/novartis-inks-2-1b-endocyte-buyout-furthering-radiotherapy-push |access-date=2022-04-13 |website=Fierce Biotech |language=en}}

Endocyte is advancing the first technology platform for the creation of small molecule drug conjugates (a.k.a. SMDCs), which consist of a small molecule linked to a potent drug, and is developing a pipeline of SMDCs together with non-invasive companion imaging agents for cancer, inflammatory diseases and kidney disease (autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease/ADPKDor PKD).{{cite web|url=http://www.fiercedrugdelivery.com/story/endocytes-kidney-conjugates-get-right-spot/2012-08-08|title=Endocyte's kidney conjugates get right to the spot - FiercePharma|website=www.fiercedrugdelivery.com}}

Endocyte’s lead drug candidate is vintafolide, an investigational targeted cancer therapeutic in late-stage development. In 2012 marketing rights were acquired by Merck for $120 million in an upfront payment and up to $880 million in milestone payments.{{cite news |title=Endocyte soars on cancer drug deal with Merck |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-merck-idUSBRE83F0W120120416 |work=Reuters |date=16 April 2012 }}

Vintafolide is a small molecule drug conjugate consisting of a small molecule targeting the folate receptor, which is expressed on many cancers, such as ovarian cancer, and a potent chemotherapy drug, a derivative of vinblastine. Endocyte retained rights to the development and commercialization of etarfolatide.

Endocyte’s other preclinical drug candidates also target the folate receptor as well as prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) receptors.

The company was formed based on technology developed by Philip Low (the company's CSO), and Christopher Leamon, PhD, the company’s VP of research. This technology is a folic acid-based drug delivery system, referred to now as folate targeting.{{cite journal |last1=Leamon |first1=C. P. |last2=Low |first2=P. S. |title=Delivery of macromolecules into living cells: a method that exploits folate receptor endocytosis. |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=1 July 1991 |volume=88 |issue=13 |pages=5572–5576 |doi=10.1073/pnas.88.13.5572 |pmid=2062838 |pmc=51919 |bibcode=1991PNAS...88.5572L |doi-access=free }} The company is also developing SMDCs with varying drug payloads as well as different ligands for other molecular targets, such as prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and has also developed, with Bristol-Myers Squibb, an epothilone-folic acid conjugate (BMS-753493), described at a 2008 conference.{{cite journal |last1=Covello |first1=Kelly |last2=Flefleh |first2=Christine |last3=Menard |first3=Krista |last4=Wiebesiek |first4=Amy |last5=McGlinchey |first5=Kelly |last6=Wen |first6=MeiLi |last7=Westhouse |first7=Richard |last8=Reddy |first8=Joe |last9=Vlahov |first9=Iontcho |last10=Hunt |first10=John |last11=Rose |first11=William |last12=Leamon |first12=Chris |last13=Vite |first13=Greg |last14=Lee |first14=Francis |title=Preclinical pharmacology of epothilone-folate conjugate BMS-753493, a tumor-targeting agent selected for clinical development |journal=Cancer Research |date=1 May 2008 |volume=68 |issue=9 Supplement |pages=2326 |url=https://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/68/9_Supplement/2326 }}

In mid-October 2018, Novartis announced it would acquire Endocyte Inc for $2.1 billion ($24 per share) merging it with a newly created subsidiary.{{cite news |title=Novartis to buy cancer drugmaker Endocyte for $2.1 billion in cash |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-endocyte-m-a-novartis-idUKKCN1MS0JZ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128212657/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-endocyte-m-a-novartis-idUKKCN1MS0JZ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |work=Reuters |date=18 October 2018 }}{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=John |title=Novartis pushes deeper into nuclear medicine with $2.1 billion deal |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-endocyte-m-a-novartis-idUKKCN1MS0PN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128211658/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-endocyte-m-a-novartis-idUKKCN1MS0PN |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |work=Reuters |date=18 October 2018 }} Endocyte will bolster Novartis' offering in its radiopharmaceuticals business, with Endocyte's first in class candidate ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 being targeted against metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.{{cite web|url=https://www.novartis.com/news/media-releases/novartis-announces-planned-acquisition-endocyte-expand-expertise-radiopharmaceuticals-and-build-commitment-transformational-therapeutic-platforms|title=Novartis announces planned acquisition of Endocyte to expand expertise in radiopharmaceuticals and build on commitment to transformational therapeutic platforms|website=Novartis}}