OncoMed

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Company type	Public (until 2019)
Industry	Biopharmaceutical
Founded	August 1, 2004 (2004-08-01) in California, United States
Founder	Michael Clarke, Max S. Wicha
Defunct	April 2019 (2019-04)
Fate	Acquired by Mereo BioPharma
Headquarters	Redwood City , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Paul Hastings (CEO, 2006–2019), John Lewicki (R&D leader), Chuck Alaimo (operations)
Products	Targeted antibodies against cancer stem cells (e.g., vantictumab, demcizumab, tarextumab)

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was a publicly traded American biopharmaceutical company based in Redwood City, California. Established in August 2004 by University of Michigan researchers Michael Clarke and Max S. Wicha, the enterprise concentrated on creating targeted antibodies aimed at cancer stem cells. The technology underlying its cancer stem cell programs originated from the University of Michigan, where the founders initially developed these innovations. OncoMed launched its initial public offering in 2013, listing on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker OMED. In April 2019, the company was acquired by Mereo BioPharma and consequently removed from the stock exchange.

History

Founded in 2004, OncoMed streamlined its operations in 2007 by relocating from Mountain View and Palo Alto to a consolidated headquarters at Seaport Centre in Redwood City, occupying a facility previously used by NeXT.

In 2012, the firm secured USAN nonproprietary names for vantictumab and demcizumab, two human IgG2 monoclonal antibodies targeting Frizzled and DLL4 respectively—both designed as anti-cancer agents. The subsequent year marked OncoMed’s public offering, which raised $115 million.

By 2014, OncoMed had entered into a strategic collaboration with Celgene involving demcizumab alongside five additional biologic candidates focused on therapies against cancer stem cells.

As of 2013, co-founder Max Wicha held the position of director at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and maintained a consulting role with OncoMed, while Michael Clarke was affiliated with Stanford University.

Competitors

In 2013, OncoMed’s primary competitors included Stemline Therapeutics and Verastem, both publicly listed U.S. companies. By 2014, other organizations pursuing cancer stem cell therapies encompassed Boston Biomedical (a subsidiary of Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma), GlaxoSmithKline, Astellas Pharma, Sanofi’s U.S. division, and Pfizer. Nonetheless, Stemline and Verastem remained unique in focusing exclusively on cancer stem cell targets. Industry analysts regarded OncoMed as the most favorably positioned among these three entities.

Pipeline

Clinical pipeline, Oct 2014

Name	Target	ID	Clinical Phase
demcizumab	DLL4	OMP-21M18	II
tarextumab	Notch 2/3	OMP-59R5	II
vantictumab	Fzd7	OMP-18R5	Ib
ipafricept	Fzd8-fc	OMP-54F28	Ib
brontictuzumab	Notch1	OMP-52M51	I
unnamed	DLL4/VEGF	OMP-305B83	I
unnamed	RSPO3	OMP-131R10	I

By January 2017, OncoMed's portfolio comprised seven clinical-stage drug candidates and four discovery programs; none had achieved market approval. Two molecules co-developed with Bayer—ipafricept and vantictumab—experienced bone-related adverse events during Phase I trials, leading to suspension of those studies and a significant drop in stock value.

Demcizumab, OMP-305B83, and OMP-131R10 were being developed in partnership with Celgene; tarextumab and brontictuzumab with GlaxoSmithKline; while vantictumab and ipafricept were co-developed alongside Bayer.

Corporate governance

In 2013, Paul Hastings served as CEO since his appointment in 2006. John Lewicki was responsible for research and development leadership, with Chuck Alaimo overseeing operational management. Hastings also occupied various leadership roles including board positions at the California Healthcare Institute and Bay Area Biosciences Association and chaired the board of the Biotechnology Industry Organization.