Agenus Announces Collaboration and License Agreement with Merck for Novel Checkpoint Antibody-Based Cancer Immunotherapies
April 28 2014 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
- Agenus is eligible to receive ~$100
million in milestone payments as well as royalties on worldwide
product sales
Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ: AGEN) announced today that the company has
entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Merck,
known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, through a
subsidiary, for the discovery and development of therapeutic
antibodies to immune checkpoints for the treatment of cancer. Under
the terms of the agreement, Agenus will discover and optimize fully
human antibodies against two undisclosed Merck checkpoint targets
using the 4-Antibody Retrocyte Display® platform. Merck will be
responsible for clinical development and commercialization of
candidates generated under the collaboration.
Under the terms of the agreement, Agenus is eligible to receive
approximately $100 million in potential payments associated with
the completion of certain clinical, regulatory and commercial
milestones for two candidates from Merck. In addition, Agenus is
eligible to receive royalty payments on worldwide product
sales.
“We are delighted to be working with Merck, who is a leader in
the rapidly developing immuno-oncology space," said Bob Stein, MD,
PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Agenus Inc. "We believe our
Retrocyte Display technology has significant advantages for
creation of high quality antibody development candidates. This
collaboration broadens our efforts in immuno-oncology beyond
our previously disclosed checkpoint programs with a
world-class research and development partner."
“This collaboration with Agenus complements our active
immuno-oncology discovery programs,” said Dr. Eric Rubin, vice
president clinical oncology, Merck Research Laboratories. “We look
forward to working to advance these programs with the potential to
address the unmet medical needs of people with cancer.”
Agenus acquired 4-Antibody AG, a private European-based
biopharmaceutical company in February 2014. The 4-Antibody assets
include the Retrocyte Display technology platform for discovery and
optimization of fully human antibodies against a wide array of
molecular targets. Agenus has multiple preclinical checkpoint
modulator programs in development including GITR and OX40 agonists
and antagonists of TIM-3, LAG-3, PD-1 and CTLA-4. These programs
are being pursued through a strategic collaboration with Ludwig
Cancer Research.
About Checkpoint Modulators
Clinical data from studies employing monoclonal antibodies that
bind to checkpoint molecules, such as cytotoxic T lymphocyte
antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1), have
generated considerable excitement in the field of immuno-oncology.
Checkpoints are employed by the body to prevent a runaway immune
response, which can be debilitating or deadly. Unfortunately, these
very same checkpoint mechanisms can also be used by cancer cells as
a defense against immune attack. Antibodies that bind to PD-1 and
CTLA-4 are designed to help immune cells overcome the checkpoint
defenses of cancer cells. Other checkpoint proteins, such as GITR
and OX40, are receptors found on T cells that stimulate immune
function. Agenus and Ludwig Cancer Research are driving
leading-edge programs to discover and develop fully human
monoclonal antibodies that bind to key checkpoint proteins and
activate or block their activities for use in cancer therapy.
About Agenus
Agenus is an immuno-oncology company developing a portfolio of
checkpoint modulators (CPMs), heat shock protein vaccines and
adjuvants. Agenus’ checkpoint modulator programs target GITR, OX40,
CTLA-4, LAG-3, TIM-3 and PD-1. The company’s proprietary discovery
engine Retrocyte Display® is used to generate fully human
therapeutic antibody drug candidates. The Retrocyte Display
platform uses a high-throughput approach incorporating IgG format
human antibody libraries expressed in mammalian B-lineage cells.
Agenus’ heat shock protein vaccines for cancer and infectious
disease are in Phase 2 studies. The company’s QS-21 Stimulon®
adjuvant platform is extensively partnered with GlaxoSmithKline and
Janssen and includes several candidates in Phase 3 trials. Among
Agenus and its partners, 22 programs are in clinical development.
For more information, please visit www.agenusbio.com, or connect
with the company on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.
Retrocyte Display and QS-21 Stimulon are registered trademarks
of Agenus and its subsidiaries.
Agenus Inc.Jonae R. Barnes, 781-674-4538 Officeor617-818-2985
CellVice PresidentInvestor Relations and Corporate
Communicationsjonae.barnes@agenusbio.com
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