Adimab Signs Collaborations

Adimab has signed a pair of collaboration agreements with Celgene and Innovent Biologics. The company will work with Celgene on a multi-target discovery program, using its proprietary platform to generate therapeutic antibodies against multiple targets. The company will work with Innovent, a Chinese antibody therapeutics and manufacturing company, for the discovery, development and commercialization of an antibody-based therapeutic program.

Adimab and Celgene have entered into a collaboration whereby Adimab will use its proprietary discovery and optimization platform to identify fully human antibodies against multiple targets. For each target, the agreement grants Celgene the right to research antibodies generated during the collaboration for potential use as therapeutic products. In addition, for each target, Celgene will have the option to exclusively license antibodies generated during the collaboration. If Celgene exercises its option for a particular target, Adimab would receive license fees, clinical milestones and royalties on therapeutic product sales. Adimab will receive an undisclosed upfront payment.

“The speed and technical superiority of our platform drives all of our deal flow,” said Guy Van Meter, vice president of Business Development at Adimab. “The Adimab platform is an extremely versatile antibody discovery and engineering tool that can be applied to a variety of different therapeutic development approaches, including IgG discovery, optimization, humanization and bispecifics.”

In the Innovent collaboration, Adimab will utilize its discovery and optimization platform to identify a fully human therapeutic antibody against a target selected by Innovent. Adimab and Innovent will jointly coordinate the development, manufacture and commercialization of the therapeutic antibody. Innovent will compensate Adimab for the discovery and optimization of the therapeutic leads. Innovent will initially lead the development efforts, including cell line development, formulation, manufacturing and clinical trials. Adimab is required to reimburse Innovent for specific development costs. Innovent will retain rights for commercialization in China, with royalties owed to Adimab on product sales. Adimab will retain rights for commercialization in the U.S., Europe and Japan, with royalties owed to Innovent on product sales.

“We are excited to enter into this partnership with one of China’s leading biotechnology companies,” said Tillman Gerngross, chief executive officer of Adimab. “Innovent’s manufacturing and product capabilities are impressive. They have built a remarkable manufacturing infrastructure, and we are confident in their ability to develop attractive programs for the Chinese market.”

“Adimab is clearly a great strategic partner for Innovent. The speed and the quality of their platform has consistently generated therapeutic programs that are superior to the output from competing technologies,” said Michael Yu, chief executive officer of Innovent. “We feel that combining the Adimab platform with Innovent’s strong development and manufacturing capabilities will help us to rapidly build a strong therapeutic pipeline and commercial presence in China.”

In addition, Adimab has achieved of technical milestones from its ongoing collaborations with Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead, and Kyowa Hakko Kirin.