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.
Magenta Therapeutics Inc., the developer of an antibody-drug conjugate intended to help prep certain relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome patients for stem cell transplant or gene therapy, has stopped dosing the drug in part of an ongoing trial after observing two cases of serious adverse events (SAEs) possibly related to the candidate.
Celltrion Healthcare Inc. has signed a deal with Pinotbio Inc. to develop antibody-drug conjugates for up to 15 separate cancer targets incorporating the linker-payload platform technology Pinot-ADC. Celltrion could pay Pinotbio as much as ₩1.77 trillion (US$1.24 billion) to exercise options for all 15 targets in the collaboration. But, for starters, it will pay Pinotbio ₩1 billion up front.
Mablink Bioscience SAS raised €31 million (US$30.3 million) in a series A funding round and set its sights on a phase I trial of its lead next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), MBK-103, which is in development for a range of solid tumor indications. Sofinnova Partners and Mérieux Equity Partners co-led the round.
Araris Biotech AG has raised $24 million in a second round of funding, as it completes preparations to take its lead antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) into the clinic. The company continues to accumulate preclinical data indicating its novel linker technology makes for an improved therapeutic index compared to approved ADCs, and the lead product is expected to begin clinical development next year.
Pheon Therapeutics Ltd. is working to bring next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) payloads and enhanced tolerability into the clinic after closing a $68 million series A.
Mersana Therapeutics Inc. is getting $100 million up front in an option deal with GSK plc for preclinical-stage antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) XMT-2056, which could bring up to $1.36 billion more in an option exercise payment, development, regulatory and commercial milestones. It’s the second potential $1 billion-plus ADC deal for Cambridge, Mass.-based Mersana in 2022 and the first for its Immunosynthen platform, which uses a STING agonist payload specifically designed for ADCs.
Wall Street must wait to learn more about factors that might distinguish the Claudin18.2-targeting asset at the center of Elevation Oncology Inc.’s $1.2 billion license deal with CSPC Megalith Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd.
Elevation Oncology Inc. has picked up the global rights to SYSA-1801, an anti-Claudin 18.2 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate, from CSPC Megalith Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. in a deal worth up to $1.195 billion. Under the terms, Elevation gets rights to develop and commercialize SYSA-1801 outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. out-licensed an investigational antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for the treatment of solid tumors to Merck & Co. Inc. in a deal worth up to $936 million. Sichuan, China-based Kelun-Biotech will receive $35 million up front in the deal and is eligible to receive up to $901 million in future development, approval and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on net sales.