BMS pays ZenasZenas $50m upfront for regional rights to autoimmune disease antibody

06 Sep 2023
www.pmlive.com
License out/inPhase 3Immunotherapy
BMS pays Zenas $50m upfront for regional rights to autoimmune disease antibody
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Source: PMLiVE
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and Zenas BioPharma have entered into a strategic license and collaboration agreement to develop and commercialise a novel, bi-functional antibody called obexelimab for autoimmune diseases.
Combining BMS’s expertise in immune-mediated disease and Zenas’s aim to bring innovative immunology-based medicines to patients across the world, the collaboration aims to develop and commercialise obexelimab in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia.
As part of the agreement, BMS will provide an upfront cash payment of $50m to ZenasZenas, along with additional potential development, regulatory and commercial milestone-based payments, as well as royalties.
BMS is also set to make an additional equity investment in ZenasZenas.
In exchange, BMS will acquire exclusive rights to develop and commercialise obexelimab in the licensed territories.
Autoimmune diseases result from the immune system attacking the body instead of protecting it. There are over 100 known autoimmune diseases, including lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
In May 2023, the University of Oxford found, based on its population-based study of 22 million people, that autoimmune diseases affect one in ten people.
Obexelimab is an investigational bi-functional, non-cytolytic, humanised monoclonal antibody that binds CD19 and FcyRIIb to inhibit B cells, plasmablasts, and CD19-expressing plasma cells.
The antibody is currently being studied as a subcutaneous injection in a global phase 3 trial in patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), which currently has no approved treatments, and also in a phase 2/3 trial in patients with warm antibody autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (wAIHA).
Commenting on the partnership, Lonnie Moulder, founder and chief executive officer of Zenas, said: "This collaboration marks an important step forward in realising our vision for obexelimab to benefit patients living with autoimmune diseases globally."
"This collaboration represents an important opportunity to address unmet needs for people living with IgG4-RD, for which there are no approved treatment options," said Steve Sugino, senior vice president and general manager at BMS, Japan.
The company looks forward to "[expanding] the reach of obexelimab in the licensed territory and [making] an impact on the lives of patients that are waiting," added Sugino.
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