Agenus Completes Acquisition of 4-Antibody
February 13 2014 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Agenus gains powerful platform for rapid
discovery and optimization of fully-human antibodies against a wide
array of molecular targets
Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a biopharmaceutical company
developing novel immunotherapeutics, including a portfolio of
checkpoint modulators (CPMs), anti-cancer vaccines and adjuvants,
today completed the previously announced acquisition of 4-Antibody
AG, a private European-based biopharmaceutical company.
The acquisition includes the Retrocyte Display® technology
platform which enables rapid discovery and optimization of fully
human antibodies against a wide array of molecular targets. For the
past three years, 4-Antibody has been applying Retrocyte Display to
create therapeutic antibodies to six key checkpoint targets that
regulate immune response to cancers and other diseases. The company
has multiple preclinical immune CPM programs in development.
In this transaction, Agenus acquired all outstanding stock of
4-Antibody for approximately 3.3 million shares of Agenus common
stock, plus additional contingent payments, payable in cash or
Agenus common stock, that may exceed $40 million based on the
combined company achieving certain milestones. Agenus intends to
continue 4-Antibody’s operations in Basel, Switzerland and Jena,
Germany, and to retain the 4-Antibody management team as part of
the combined company. In addition, Shahzad Malik, M.D., General
Partner at Advent Venture Partners, 4-Antibody’s largest investor,
has been appointed to Agenus’ Board of Directors upon the
closing.
“Through this acquisition, Agenus gained six programs targeting
key checkpoints that we plan to pursue vigorously,” said Garo
Armen, Ph.D., CEO and chairman of Agenus. “These assets, together
with the substantial capital raised in our recent public offering,
position us well to develop a portfolio of innovative
immunotherapies for cancer. In addition, Agenus now has a flexible
platform for rapid discovery and optimization of fully-human
antibodies against a wide array of molecular targets, which we plan
to leverage on our own, with pharma partnerships, and through our
collaborations with Ludwig Cancer Research and Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center.”
About Checkpoint Modulators
Promising clinical data with monoclonal antibodies that bind to
checkpoint molecules, such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4
(CTLA-4) and programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) has sparked
considerable excitement in the field of cancer immunotherapy.
Blocking these checkpoint molecules unlocks the braking mechanism
that gets in the way of immune cells attacking cancer cells.
Checkpoint modulator combinations such as CTLA-4 inhibitors and
PD-1 inhibitors have shown impressive clinical responses in recent
clinical trials. Other checkpoints, such as GITR and OX40, act to
stimulate immune function. Agenus is driving leading edge programs
to discover and develop fully human or humanized monoclonal
antibodies that act as agonists for GITR or OX40 signaling.
About Agenus
Agenus is a biopharmaceutical company focused on immuno-oncology
with a portfolio of checkpoint modulators and anti-cancer vaccines.
The company’s three platforms include checkpoint modulators, heat
shock protein based vaccines, and adjuvants. The company’s
proprietary discovery engine Retrocyte Display generates high
quality therapeutic antibody drug candidates quickly using a
high-throughput approach incorporating full-length IgG format human
antibody libraries expressed in mammalian B-lineage cells. A
portfolio of checkpoint modulator programs is advancing in
preclinical development, several heat shock protein based vaccines
are in Phase 2 studies, and the adjuvant platform is extensively
partnered with GlaxoSmithKline and Janssen and includes several
candidates in late-stage trials. Among Agenus and its partners, 23
programs are in clinical development. For more information, please
visit www.agenusbio.com, or connect with the company on Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.
Additional Information
Statements made in this press release include forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, regarding, but not limited to, the use of
proceeds from the offering. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “plan,”
“should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” or
comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are
inherently subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties, many
of which Agenus cannot predict with accuracy and some of which
Agenus might not even anticipate, and involve factors that may
cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or
suggested. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the
factors described under the Risk Factors section of Agenus’ Current
Report on Form 8-K, which was filed with the SEC on February 4,
2014. Agenus cautions investors not to place considerable reliance
on the forward-looking statements contained in this release. These
statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and
Agenus undertakes no obligation to update or revise the
statements.
Retrocyte Display is a registered trademark of 4-Antibody
AG.
Agenus Inc.Jonae R. Barnes, 617-818-2985Vice PresidentInvestor
Relations and Corporate
Communicationsjonae.barnes@agenusbio.com
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