Elpiscience Biopharma Ltd. is out-licensing to Astellas Pharma Inc. two preclinical bispecific macrophage engagers – ES-019, an anti-PD-L1/SIRPα bispecific antibody, and another unnamed program – in a deal worth up to $1.7 billion. The deal marks the Shanghai-based company’s first out-licensing deal, Elpiscience CEO Darren Ji told BioWorld, noting that Astellas will have global rights to both molecules with a potential to in-license two more.
Pluri Inc. has signed an agreement assigning the joint patent rights to develop its PLX cells for the treatment of cocaine addiction to BIRAD-Research & Development Company Ltd., the commercial arm of Bar-Ilan University.
South Korean biotech Pinotbio Co. Ltd. inked a $250 million (₩320 billion) licensing deal with Princeton, N.J.-based Conjugatebio Inc. to develop 10 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targets with Pinotbio’s ADC platform technology. The deal announced on Dec. 21 adds to a previous agreement between the two companies last year. Pinotbio and Conjugate first teamed up to discover and develop five ADC targets in June 2022.
Replay Holdings LLC has entered into an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for intellectual property related to a library of T-cell receptors (TCRs) directed against multiple cancer neoantigens.
Gilead Sciences Inc. has signed an agreement with Compugen Ltd. to exclusively license Compugen’s preclinical antibody program against IL-18 binding protein, including the COM-503 drug candidate. COM-503 is a high affinity antibody which blocks the interaction between IL-18 binding protein and IL-18, thereby inhibiting cancer growth.
Limmatech Biologics AG and Abvacc Inc. have entered into a license agreement that grants Limmatech the exclusive rights to further develop Abvacc’s multivalent toxoid vaccine candidate, LBT-SA7 (formerly IBT-V02), designed to prevent infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus.
Replay Holdings LLC and Miltenyi Biotec BV & Co. KG have announced a licensing and manufacturing agreement to support the development of a GMP-compliant T-cell receptor (TCR) natural killer (NK) cell therapy targeting the tumor-associated neoantigen, PRAME.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Biolojic Design Ltd. have announced an exclusive license agreement to develop a potential novel antibody-based therapy for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and asthma.
PGI Drug Discovery LLC, the drug discovery arm of Psychogenics Inc., has entered into an exclusive license agreement with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. to obtain global development, manufacturing and commercialization rights to RO-7117997. Psychogenics intends to evaluate RO-7117997 as a potential treatment for several psychiatric and neurological conditions.
Anaptysbio Inc. has signed an exclusive license agreement for Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc’s blood dendritic cell antigen 2 (BDCA-2) modulator antibody portfolio, including lead asset CBS-004 (to be renamed ANB-101) and related family of backup antibodies, for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.