CHINA – WuXi Biologics, a leading global open-access biologics technology platform, has signed an exclusive global licensing agreement worth up to US$1.46 billion with pharmaceutical giant GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc.
WuXi Biologics will receive a US$40 million upfront payment and up to US$1.46 billion in additional costs for research, development, and regulatory and commercial milestones across bispecific and multispecific antibodies, according to the terms of the agreement.
The global Contract Research, Development, and Manufacturing Organization (CRDMO) offering end-to-end solutions is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on net sales.
It will provide an exclusive license to GSK for one preclinical bi-specific T cell engaging (TCE) antibody and the option of three additional bi- and multi-specific TCE antibodies developed using WuXi Biologics’ proprietary technology platforms.
“Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will be granted an exclusive global license for the research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of a pre-clinical bispecific antibody that crosslinks tumor cells and T cells,” WuXi Biologics said in a release.
The Shanghai-based company explained that the bispecific antibody crosslinks tumor cells and T cells by targeting a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) on tumor cells and CD3 expression on T cells and up to three additional pre-clinical TCE antibodies currently at an earlier discovery stage.
Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics, welcomed the deal, stating: “This license agreement with GSK represents an important validation of our potential best-in-class CD3 platform and WuXiBody® platform, the ‘R’ in our CRDMO business model.”
He outlined that WuXiBody® is a leading proprietary bispecific antibody platform developed by WuXi Biologics, noting that it can effectively break through the discovery and CMC barriers for the development of many bispecific antibodies.
“This also demonstrates our efforts in offering global open-access technology platforms with premier quality and excellent execution. We are looking forward to enabling GSK to bring these potentially life-saving therapeutics to more patients worldwide.” Dr. Chen added.
Commenting on the agreement, John Lepore, Senior Vice President, Head of Research GSK, underscored that the landmark licensing agreement with WuXi Biologics builds on the company’s oncology portfolio of tumor cell targeting agents.
He said that it would provide GSK with access to potential best-in-class T-cell engaging antibodies that have been optimized for effective tumor killing with a desirable safety profile, offering the potential to address the significant unmet medical need in patients with multiple tumor types.
Moreover, WuXi Biologics leverages its technologies and expertise to provide customers with efficient and cost-effective biologics discovery, development, and manufacturing solutions. It has over 10,000 skilled employees in China, the United States, Ireland, Germany, and Singapore.
For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.
