MONROVIA, Calif., Dec. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Xencor, Inc.
(NASDAQ: XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of
autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergic diseases and cancer, today
announced that the Company has earned a $10
million milestone payment from Amgen. The payment is
triggered by the submission of the Investigational New Drug (IND)
Application for AMG 424, a novel humanized T cell–recruiting
bispecific antibody targeting CD38 and CD3, which uses Xencor's
Bispecific XmAb® Technology.
"XmAb antibody Fc domains continue to enable our partners to
create a broad range of drug candidates, in addition to driving our
internal programs," said Bassil
Dahiyat, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of
Xencor. "Our XmAb Fc domains, each providing unique functional
improvements to antibodies, open the door to new targets and new
biology previously difficult to access. By selectively licensing
our XmAb technology, we believe we create value in non-core areas,
while we focus on advancing our key internal development
programs."
Entered in September 2015, the
agreement with Amgen licensed the use of XmAb Bispecific technology
for five internal Amgen programs, as well as the Xencor preclinical
bispecific T cell engager program directed at CD38 and CD3 for
multiple myeloma.
Preclinical characterization of AMG 424 will be discussed in a
presentation at the upcoming American Society of Hematology Annual
Meeting (ASH 2017).
About Xencor's XmAb Fc Technologies
Xencor's proprietary XmAb antibody engineering platform
creates subtle, precise alterations to the antibody's Fc domain —
the stem of the structure that is responsible for antibodies'
natural immune functions and highly stable structure. These subtle
changes elicit dramatically enhanced performance. XmAb Fc domains
are plug-and-play and can be substituted into nearly any antibody.
The resulting engineered antibodies retain the beneficial
stability, pharmacokinetics and ease of development of natural
antibodies, and are produced with standard methods for antibody
manufacturing. We have created four lead XmAb Fc domains, each
enhancing a key property for antibody therapeutics: our Bispecific,
Immune Inhibitor, Cytotoxic and Xtend Fc domains.
About Xencor, Inc.
Xencor is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of
autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergic diseases and cancer.
Currently, 11 candidates engineered with Xencor's XmAb®
technology are in clinical development internally and with
partners. Xencor's internal programs include: XmAb®5871
in Phase 2 development for the treatment of IgG4-Related Disease,
and also for the treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus;
XmAb®7195 in Phase 1 development for the treatment of asthma and
allergic diseases; XmAb®14045 in Phase 1 development for acute
myeloid leukemia; XmAb®13676 in Phase 1 development for B-cell
malignancies; XmAb®18087 in pre-clinical development for the
treatment of neuroendocrine tumors; and XmAb®20717 in pre-clinical
development for the treatment of multiple
cancers. Xencor's XmAb antibody engineering technology
enables small changes to the structure of monoclonal antibodies
resulting in new mechanisms of therapeutic
action. Xencor partners include Novartis, Amgen,
MorphoSys, Merck, CSL/Janssen, Alexion and Boehringer
Ingelheim. For more information, please
visit www.xencor.com.
Forward Looking Statements:
Statements contained in this press release and the related
abstracts and presentations regarding matters that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning
of applicable securities laws, including any expectations relating
to our business, research and development programs, partnering
efforts or our capital requirements. Such statements involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results, performance or achievements and the timing
of events to be materially different from those implied by
such statements, and therefore these statements should not be read
as guarantees of future performance or results. Such risks include,
without limitation, the risks associated with the process of
discovering, developing, manufacturing and commercializing drugs
that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics and other
risks described in Xencor's public securities filings.
All forward-looking statements are based
on Xencor's current information and belief as well as
assumptions made by Xencor. Readers are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on such statements and Xencor disclaims
any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
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SOURCE Xencor, Inc.