Shire signs antibody research deal with arGEN-X
pharmafile | February 29, 2012 | News story | Research and Development | Shire, arGEN-X, monoclonal antibodies
Shire has signed a deal with antibody specialists arGEN-X to develop drugs for rare genetic diseases.
Rotterdam-based arGEN-X will use its SIMPLE Antibody platform to create novel therapeutic antibody products against multiple targets submitted by Shire.
The partners says they will isolate and characterise human antibodies against targets that Shire has identified and are known to contribute to the pathophysiology of severe, rare genetic diseases. arGEN-X will also bring its state-of-the-art antibody capabilities to the collaboration for the pre-clinical characterisation of therapeutic leads. Shire has the option to license the most promising leads for further pre-clinical and clinical development and commercialisation worldwide.
arGEN-X will receive an upfront technology access fee, research funding and pre-clinical success payments. In return for its option to develop and commercialise products on an exclusive basis, Shire will pay fees, milestones and royalties on product sales. Specific details of the financial terms were not disclosed.
Tim Van Hauwermeiren, chief executive of arGEN-X, said: “We are delighted to pioneer human antibodies as novel, first-in-class therapies for rare diseases with a partner of Shire’s calibre. Shire’s depth of experience in protein-based therapies is the perfect complement to our own discovery capabilities. We are confident that our SIMPLE Antibody platform, which consistently delivers antibodies of therapeutic quality against complex targets often intractable with other technologies, will bring significant value to this alliance. We believe this alliance represents an industry first and we are looking forward to an exciting and productive collaboration with Shire.”
Established in 2008, Rotterdam-based arGEN-X has attracted €44 million from leading life science investors, and €4.1 million in non-dilutive grants.
It signed its first deal in January 2011 with Eli Lilly for the discovery and development of novel human antibodies.
“As a leader in innovative therapies for rare diseases, Shire is continuing to apply new technologies to address the needs of patients,” said Philip Vickers, senior vice president, Research and Development, Shire Human Genetic Therapies (HGT).
“Monoclonal antibody therapy is an underutilised approach to the treatment of rare diseases, and this novel platform has the potential to bring multiple drug candidates into our early-stage pipeline. Partnerships such as this one with arGEN-X are an important part of our strategy to bring new therapies to those suffering from rare diseases worldwide.”
Andrew McConaghie
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