Equecabtagene Autoleucel

Lebanon, New Hampshire – April 15, 2026 – Adimab, LLC, the global leader in the discovery and engineering of fully human monoclonal and multispecific antibodies, congratulates GSK plc for recently receiving approvals by the European Commission (EC) and China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for depemokimab. This adds to recent marketing approvals in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Depemokimab is the first ultra-long-acting biologic product approved for use in its indicated conditions and was developed internally by GSK with an extended half-life and engineered high binding affinity to enable twice-yearly dosing, as demonstrated in GSK’s pivotal trials. To support in the engineering of the molecule, GSK internalized Adimab’s proprietary yeast-based technology, enabling in-house antibody discovery, optimization, production, and characterization on any target of GSK’s choosing. GSK’s research team used the Adimab Platform for depemokimab, a product tailored to meet GSK’s target product profile, including low picomolar affinity. GSK continues to use the Adimab platform to support other internal programs. “Depemokimab is the first approved product to emerge from our Platform Transfer collaborations, further validating this portion of our business model. Fittingly, GSK was our first Platform Transfer collaborator, and we congratulate them on this tremendous success,” said Philip T. Chase, Chief Executive Officer of Adimab. “Depemokimab is just one example of GSK’s adoption of the Adimab technology to pursue innovative therapeutic products,” added Eric Krauland, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Adimab. “GSK’s use of the platform, exemplified through ongoing investment in the Adimab team’s expertise and the use of Adimab's technological advances such as new library diversities, has translated into other GSK clinical programs that aim to make a real difference for patients.” Adimab’s other Platform Transfer collaborators include Biogen, Lilly, Merck, Novo Nordisk, and Takeda. Each Platform Transfer collaborator has been enabled, through training at Adimab and their own site, to operate Adimab’s proprietary platform independently. Further, each Platform Transfer collaborator has their own unique diversity, ensuring non-overlapping outputs. The Adimab technology can be used on any biologic target, in any format, and in any therapeutic area, allowing flexibility from discovery through engineering and generation of multispecifics. Support is always available, including access to Adimab scientists, biannual technology summits, and regular updates to strains, libraries, and in silico tools. Other commercial products containing molecules from Adimab include: Innovent’s TYVYT® (sintilimab injection), a PD1 program approved in China for the treatment of multiple cancers. Innovent’s SINTBILO® (tafolecimab injection), a PCSK9 program approved in China for the treatment of adult patients with primary hypercholesterolemia and mixed dyslipidemia. IASO Bio’s FUCASO® (equecabtagene autoleucel), a BCMA CAR-T program approved in China for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. Invivyd’s PEMGARDA™ (pemivibart), a SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody authorized for prophylactic emergency use in the United States to prevent COVID-19 infection. Sun Pharma’s UNLOXCYT™ (cosibelimab), a PD-L1 program approved in the United States for the treatment of metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. There are numerous additional Adimab-associated programs that are currently in Phase II or Phase III (pivotal) trials. The total number of Adimab-associated clinical programs initiated by our collaborators has now reached 90. About Adimab Adimab is the leading provider of therapeutic antibody discovery and engineering technologies. Our suite of technologies includes naïve discovery from synthetic libraries in yeast or B cells (mice, llamas, and humans), antibody engineering and optimization, bi- and multispecific antibody engineering, and a portfolio of proprietary CD3 and CD28 antibodies with complementary heterodimerization mutations that are licensed non-exclusively for bi- and multispecific applications. Adimab focuses solely on its partners and not on developing an internal product pipeline. Since 2009, Adimab has partnered with over 140 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, generating more than 650 therapeutic programs, 90 clinical programs, and 6 approved products. The Adimab technology has been transferred and implemented at GSK, Biogen, Novo Nordisk, Merck, Lilly, and Takeda. Funded discovery partners include leading pharmaceutical companies, such as Alnylam, Bristol Myers Squibb, Innovent, Novartis, Regeneron, Vertex and others. Adimab has also partnered with many early-stage venture-backed companies, including Dragonfly, NextPoint Therapeutics, Santa Ana Bio, Tizona, Kelonia, and others, as well as mid-size public biopharmaceutical companies such as Alector, Cullinan Therapeutics, Scholar Rock, and others. Adimab’s integrated antibody discovery and engineering platform provides unprecedented speed from antigen to purified, full-length human IgGs. Adimab offers fundamental advantages by delivering diverse panels of therapeutically relevant antibodies that meet the most demanding standards for affinity, epitope coverage, species cross-reactivity, and developability. Adimab enables its partners to rapidly expand their biologics pipelines through a broad spectrum of technology access arrangements. For more information, visit http://www.adimab.com.

IASO Biotechnology, headquartered in Shanghai and Nanjing, China, with US operations in Pleasanton, California, has signed a technology licensing agreement with Instituto Butantan, a Brazilian public institution, for the local development of an autologous CAR-T cell therapy targeting hematological cancers in Brazil. The therapy, equecabtagene autoleucel, is directed at the BCMA antigen expressed on malignant plasma cells and is intended for patients who have not responded to conventional treatments. The asset received regulatory approval in China in 2023 under the brand name Fucaso. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the agreement, cell development and manufacturing will be conducted at the Advanced Therapies Center of São Paulo (Nutera-SP), a facility coordinated by Butantan with infrastructure dedicated to cell therapy production. The structure positions Butantan as the local development and manufacturing partner within Brazil, while IASO Bio retains its broader global commercial footprint. No details on exclusivity terms, royalty structures, or milestone arrangements were disclosed. The deal is framed around expanding patient access within Brazil’s public health system, the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). CAR-T cell therapies currently carry per-patient costs of up to USD 500,000, and access in Brazil is presently limited to the private healthcare sector. Butantan’s status as a public institution is cited as a mechanism for reducing manufacturing costs and enabling potential future incorporation of the therapy into the SUS. IASO Bio, founded in 2017, describes itself as a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on cell therapies and biologics for hematological malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Instituto Butantan is identified as the largest producer of vaccines and serums in Latin America and the primary manufacturer of immunobiologicals in Brazil. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website