Genmab Reaches Milestone in DuoBody Platform Collaboration With Janssen
11 Décembre 2012 - 4:28PM
Company Announcement
- Genmab reaches key milestone in DuoBody® platform
collaboration with Janssen
- $2 million milestone payment to Genmab
Genmab A/S (Copenhagen:GEN) announced
today it has reached a key milestone in its DuoBody technology
platform collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc. and its
affiliates ("Janssen"), triggering a $ 2 million payment.
The milestone is for achieving technical proof-of-concept for the
first DuoBody product candidate.
Under the agreement, Janssen has the right to use the DuoBody
technology to create panels of bispecific antibodies (up to 10
DuoBody programs) to multiple disease target combinations with
Genmab research funded by Janssen. Genmab received an upfront
payment of $3.5 million (approx. DKK 21 million on the date of the
agreement) from Janssen in July 2012 and will potentially be
entitled to milestone and license payments of up to approximately
$175 million (approx. DKK 1,062 million on the date of the
agreement), as well as royalties for each DuoBody product.
"We are pleased to reach an important proof-of-concept milestone
for one of the DuoBody products we are creating in our
collaboration with Janssen and are satisfied with the excellent
progress we've made so far," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief
Executive Officer of Genmab.
Today's news will not have a material impact on Genmab's 2012
financial guidance.
About the DuoBody Platform
The DuoBody platform is an innovative platform for the discovery
and development of bispecific antibodies that may improve antibody
therapy of cancer, autoimmune, infectious and central nervous
system disease. Bispecific antibodies bind to two different
epitopes either on the same, or on different targets (also known as
dual-targeting) which may improve the antibodies' specificity and
efficacy in inactivating the disease targets. DuoBody molecules are
unique in combining the benefits of bispecificity with the
strengths of conventional antibodies which allows DuoBody molecules
to be administered and dosed as other antibody therapeutics.
Genmab's DuoBody platform generates bispecific antibodies via a
fast and broadly applicable process which is easily performed at
standard bench, as well as commercial, manufacturing scale.
About Genmab A/S
Genmab is a publicly traded, international biotechnology company
specializing in the creation and development of differentiated
human antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.
Founded in 1999, the company's first marketed antibody,
ofatumumab (Arzerra(r)), was approved to treat chronic lymphocytic
leukemia in patients who are refractory to fludarabine and
alemtuzumab after less than eight years in development.
Genmab's validated and next generation antibody technologies
are expected to provide a steady stream of future product
candidates. Partnering of innovative product candidates and
technologies is a key focus of Genmab's strategy and the company
has alliances with top tier pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies. For more information visit www.genmab.com.
Contact:
Rachel Curtis Gravesen, Senior Vice President, Investor
Relations & Communications T: +45 33 44 77 20; M: +45 25 12 62
60; E: r.gravesen@genmab.com
This Company Announcement contains forward looking statements.
The words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend" and "plan"
and similar expressions identify forward looking statements. Actual
results or performance may differ materially from any future
results or performance expressed or implied by such statements. The
important factors that could cause our actual results or
performance to differ materially include, among others, risks
associated with pre-clinical and clinical development of products,
uncertainties related to the outcome and conduct of clinical trials
including unforeseen safety issues, uncertainties related to
product manufacturing, the lack of market acceptance of our
products, our inability to manage growth, the competitive
environment in relation to our business area and markets, our
inability to attract and retain suitably qualified personnel, the
unenforceability or lack of protection of our patents and
proprietary rights, our relationships with affiliated entities,
changes and developments in technology which may render our
products obsolete, and other factors. For a further discussion of
these risks, please refer to the risk management sections in
Genmab's most recent financial reports, which are available on
www.genmab.com. Genmab does not undertake any obligation to update
or revise forward looking statements in this Company Announcement
nor to confirm such statements in relation to actual results,
unless required by law.
Genmab(r); the Y-shaped Genmab logo(r); HuMax(r); HuMax-CD20(r);
DuoBody(r) and UniBody(r)are all trademarks of Genmab A/S.
Arzerra(r) is a trademark of GlaxoSmithKline.
Company Announcement no. 37 CVR no. 2102 3884
Genmab A/S Bredgade 34E 1260 Copenhagen K Denmark