Calithera Biosciences

About Calithera Biosciences

Calithera Biosciences, Inc. was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that operated in the precision oncology sector. Founded in 2010 by Susan M. Molineaux and James A. Wells, the company was headquartered in South San Francisco, California. Molineaux, who served as CEO, brought extensive experience from her time at Merck, Rigel Pharmaceuticals, and as a founder of Proteolix, which was acquired by Onyx Pharmaceuticals. Her background includes a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University, underscoring the science-driven approach of the company.

The company's core strategy was to discover and develop small-molecule drugs targeting tumor metabolism and immunology. Calithera aimed to create therapies that would selectively starve cancer cells or enhance immune responses against them by disrupting specific cellular metabolic pathways. Its business model relied on generating revenue through collaboration agreements, research funding, and milestone payments from partnerships, a common approach for clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firms without a commercialized product. A notable collaboration was with Bristol Myers Squibb to evaluate one of its drug candidates, telaglenastat (CB-839), in combination with nivolumab for renal cell carcinoma. The company also entered into a license agreement with Antengene Corporation for the development and commercialization of CB-708, a CD73 inhibitor.

Calithera went public with an IPO in October 2014 to fund its pipeline development. However, the company faced significant setbacks, including disappointing clinical trial results for its lead candidate, telaglenastat, in 2021, which led to the program's discontinuation and a 35% reduction in workforce. In an attempt to pivot, Calithera licensed two cancer therapies, sapanisertib and mivavotinib, from Takeda in late 2021. Despite these efforts, enrollment delays for the new trials and financial pressures from costly clinical studies led the company to cease operations. In January 2023, the Board of Directors approved a plan for complete liquidation and dissolution. The company's stock was delisted from the Nasdaq in February 2023, and it has since been liquidating its assets.