Sanofi, Avila ink $800M oncology drug development pact

The dealmaking machine that is Sanofi-Aventis is at it again, signing an oncology drug pact worth $40 million up front and up to $154 million in milestone payments per program.

The dealmaking machine that is Sanofi-Aventis ($SNY) is at it again, signing an oncology drug pact worth $40 million up front and up to $154 million in milestone payments per program. Overall, the deal is valued at $800 million. Avila was founded in 2006 and already has 28 employees. And CEO Katrine Bosley, who was named one of the top 10 most influential women in biotech, tells FierceBiotech that the company plans to expand its ranks in the coming months.

Avila, which has already landed pacts with Clovis Oncology, Novartis and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, will use its Avilomics platform to help Sanofi design targeted covalent drugs for six signaling proteins that are critical in tumor cells. Covalent drugs are small molecules that forms a permanent bond to a disease target and silences that target. According to a statement, the targets are difficult to reach using traditional pharmaceuticals but could be susceptible to Avila's targeted covalent drug technology. "One o