Zai Lab, Crescendo Biologics Enter Licensing Agreement

Zai Lab Limited and Crescendo Biologics Ltd have entered an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement under which Zai Lab will develop, commercialize, and manufacture a topical, innovative antibody VH domain therapeutic for potential application in inflammatory indications. 

Crescendo Biologic’s product candidate was developed using Crescendo’s transgenic platform, which generates novel small, robust, and potent protein therapeutics based on fully human VH domain building blocks. Zai Lab anticipates filing an IND for this therapeutic candidate for clinical studies in psoriasis in 2019.

“Biologics-based therapies are increasingly effective in psoriasis and other skin conditions, but are often associated with treatment-limiting immunosuppressive side effects,” commented Harald Reinhart, M.D., chief medical officer, Autoimmune and Infectious Diseases at Zai Lab. “We see a clear benefit with topically administered dermatologic preparations which offers strong clinical efficacy and potentially safer for chronic administration.”

Peter Pack, chief executive officer of Crescendo Biologics, said, “We are pleased to sign this agreement with Zai Lab, a foremost developer of innovative medicines across diverse therapeutic areas where there are substantial unmet needs in global markets. We’re delighted with the pace and efficiency of Zai Lab’s plan to develop clinical proof of concept with our Humabody®. Crescendo Biologics is dedicated to advancing therapies with enhanced efficacy and improved safety profiles, and we believe there are significant synergies for our approach with the Zai Lab pipeline of autoimmune programs.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Crescendo Biologics has granted to Zai Lab a worldwide exclusive license to develop and commercialize its drug candidate for all indications. Zai Lab will be responsible for conducting all regulatory filings, clinical studies, and commercialization activities, with both companies participating in a Joint Development Committee. Zai Lab has made an upfront cash payment to Crescendo Biologics and will provide development, regulatory, and commercial milestones for multiple indications. Crescendo Biologics will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties on global sales