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As simple as ADC
December 2016
EDIT CONNECT
SHARING OPTIONS:
BASEL, Switzerland—Targeted toward discovering new and more efficient ways to treat cancer patients, privately owned
biotech NBE Therapeutics AG and Prague, Czech Republic-based SOTIO have entered into a collaboration and license agreement for the development of next-generation
antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for improved cancer therapy. Both companies have declined to disclose financial details of the collaboration.
With agreement, NBE seeks to become a leader in antibody-based therapies by developing its own portfolio of drugs to the
point of demonstrating clinical proof of concept in man. SOTIO will collaborate on the discovery, nonclinical development and manufacturing of novel ADC
products against undisclosed targets and take global responsibility for clinical development, registration and commercialization of the ADC products based on
NBE’s proprietary antibody discovery and conjugation platforms. This includes NBE’s Transpo-mAb antibody platform, its site-specific SMAC
conjugation technology and its novel ultra-potent toxin platform.
According to the terms of the agreement, upon
exercise of the target options, NBE will be eligible for an option exercise fee, as well as milestone payments and royalties based on global net sales of the
products. In addition, NBE will be reimbursed for its research and development expenses incurred in connection with the development of the product in
collaboration with SOTIO.
As part of the deal, PPF Group, the owner of SOTIO, has committed to invest 10 million
Swiss francs in the next financing round of NBE.
“We are excited about entering a strategic collaboration
with SOTIO,” Dr. Ulf Grawunder, CEO of NBE Therapeutics, stated in a press release. “This partnership validates our ADC platform and will allow
us to further expand our ADC product pipeline. SOTIO’s proven clinical development expertise will help us develop our ADC platform to the next
level.”
Grawunder tells DDNews, “This is indeed the first agreement with SOTIO. And we
consider SOTIO an ideal partner for NBE because it has strong expertise in all phases of clinical development of biotechnology drugs.”
He calls the agreement “a win-win collaboration,” noting that “We will strengthen our capabilities and
resources for clinical development of our own ADC pipeline, and SOTIO can profit from our know-how and superior technologies in ADC development and
manufacturing.”
“It is NBE’s goal to develop the best ADCs candidates for SOTIO in the shortest
possible time,” he adds. “This will add to the validation of our ADC development capabilities.”
According to Grawunder, this agreement “has changed NBE by accelerating the planning for cGMP manufacturing of ADCs and for IND/IMPD enabling
preclinical experiments.”
Ladislav Bartonicek, CEO of SOTIO, states, “NBE’s product platform
addresses the key issues of today’s antibody-drug conjugates. With the very strong preclinical data generated by NBE that show superiority in terms of
potency, safety and product homogeneity—as well as strong immunotherapeutic effects—this platform has the potential to provide new superior
treatment options for cancer patients.”
“NBE fits to SOTIO’s strategy of expansion in the
biotechnology industry,” echoes Jens Hennecke, chief business officer of SOTIO. “We are building a diverse pipeline of innovative oncology
products that could provide more effective and safer treatments for patients with cancer. NBE perfectly fits to it.”
If this collaboration proves a success, the market for the ADC products would be huge globally.
SOTIO’s goal “is to finalize preclinical development, choose indications for further clinical development and realize necessary clinical
trials to prove safety and efficacy of NBE’s ADC products,” Hennecke says. “If clinical trials are successful, our ultimate target is
registration and commercialization of the ADC products.”
Hennecke could not specify which kinds of cancers
researchers in this partnership would focus on, saying only that while the focus will be in oncology, “The choice of indication depends on the target
and will be data-driven.”
Code: E121606 Back |
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