License agreement involves development of ATG-201, a B cell-depleting bispecific T-cell engager, supporting the biopharma company’s immunology pipeline.
UCB is investing up to $1.1 billion in an autoimmune collaboration with Antengene that will allow it to advance ATG-201, a B cell-depleting bispecific antibody.
Under the agreement, UCB gains rights to develop and commercialise the treatment, paying Antengene $80 billion upfront, with the Chinese biotech also eligible for royalty payments.
Antengene’s T cell-engaging therapy is “designed to provide a targeted, durable, and scalable treatment option. As a class, T-cell engagers are emerging as an exciting and potentially disruptive therapeutic modality for immunological diseases”, according to Alistair Henry, Chief Scientific Officer, UCB.
He added: “Access to Antengene’s cutting-edge T cell-engager platform technology enhances our ambition to lead in immunology. It complements our expertise in monoclonal antibodies and novel biologics, demonstrates our inorganic innovation strategy in action, and brings transformational new capabilities that take UCB into the advancing field of bispecific T-cell engagers."
ATG-201, specifically designed for autoimmune diseases, incorporates bivalent CD19 binding, steric hindrance-based masking technology and proprietary CD3 sequence, a strategy designed to enable effective B cell depletion and reduce the risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS)"
Dr Jay Mei, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Antengene, said: “We are delighted to partner with UCB, combining our innovative discovery platform and clinical execution capabilities with UCB’s deep expertise and experience in immunology to accelerate ATG-201’s development efficiently and on a global scale.
“ATG-201, specifically designed for autoimmune diseases, incorporates bivalent CD19 binding, steric hindrance-based masking technology and proprietary CD3 sequence, a strategy designed to enable effective B cell depletion and reduce the risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS).”
Alongside UCB, Eli Lilly, Wuxi Biologics and Genentech are among the pharmaceutical companies that have made licensing and acquisition deals focused on autoimmune therapies since the start of the year.
UCB recently advanced its clinical development goals for another therapy in its pipeline, this time in rare disease. The CHMP last month granted a positive opinion for Kygevvi (doxecitine and doxribtimine) as the first thymidine kinase 2 deficiency treatment in Europe. If approved, the dual small molecule therapy would represent a new option for the ultra-rare mitochondrial disease.
