BioInvent and ThromboGenics Strike Alliance to Jointly Develop Antibody-Based Therapeutics
Lund, Sweden and Dublin, Ireland, BioInvent International AB and ThromboGenics Ltd. announced a long-term collaborative research and licensing agreement to co-develop antibody-based drugs for vascular indications.
This collaboration will bring together a rich portfolio of expertise in the area of antibody discovery, development and manufacturing. BioInvent will contribute its knowledge and experience in antibody discovery, production and immunology. ThromboGenics will contribute its research and clinical development skills in the area of vascular medicine. Both parties will provide core intellectual property based on specific therapeutic targets.
Under the terms of the collaboration, the parties will share costs and revenues equally (where a candidate has been identified prior to collaboration, the revenue split will be 60/40). The initial program will be the co-development of ThromboGenics´ fully human anti-Factor VIII monoclonal antibody, as a novel anticoagulant therapy for numerous indications, including prevention and treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and treatment of atrial fibrillation. The market for anticoagulants is estimated at $4 billion, and is expected to grow to over $6 billion by 2011.
The anti-Factor VIII lead candidate has shown a beneficial partial inhibition of the blood coagulation Factor VIII, even when applied in excess dosage. This indicates well-controlled inhibition of Factor VIII activity with low risk of spontaneous bleeding, thus avoiding the possibility of overdose and the need for patient monitoring. Additionally, experiments to date support that this drug can be given one time for treatment of acute indications, or once-a-month for chronic indications such as atrial fibrillation (all available anticoagulants require daily drug administration). This strongly suggests that a product with an excellent safety profile, with ease of administration and compliance superior to all alternative anticoagulants, can be developed. The next step will be the completion of late-stage preclinical toxicology prior to entering clinical development.
Breakthrough research on Factor VIII inhibition has been led by Professor Marc Jacquemin, M.D., Ph.D., University of Leuven, Belgium. Professor Jacquemin has published extensively on the distinct role of Factor VIII inhibition as a novel approach to anticoagulant therapy.
BioInvent and ThromboGenics are actively pursuing additional projects in the collaboration, and expect to begin new programs in the near future. It is anticipated that BioInvent and ThromboGenics will bring its joint programs through clinical proof-of-concept prior to seeking third party alliances with a pharmaceutical partner.
Commenting on the collaboration, Svein Mathisen, President and CEO of BioInvent, said, "BioInvent is very pleased to be working with people with proven success in developing and researching products in these lucrative market segments. We believe this alliance with ThromboGenics will be an effective way of extending our portfolio of innovative drug development projects.
"The discovery and development of fully human antibodies for treatment of serious diseases has been an important objective in the ThromboGenics research plan, explains Professor Désiré Collen, Chairman and CEO of ThromboGenics, "We expect the collaboration with BioInvent to expedite introduction of several promising new antibody-based candidates into the clinic.
Other news from the department business & finance
Get the life science industry in your inbox
From now on, don't miss a thing: Our newsletter for biotechnology, pharma and life sciences brings you up to date every Tuesday and Thursday. The latest industry news, product highlights and innovations - compact and easy to understand in your inbox. Researched by us so you don't have to.
Most read news
More news from our other portals
See the theme worlds for related content
Topic world Antibodies
Antibodies are specialized molecules of our immune system that can specifically recognize and neutralize pathogens or foreign substances. Antibody research in biotech and pharma has recognized this natural defense potential and is working intensively to make it therapeutically useful. From monoclonal antibodies used against cancer or autoimmune diseases to antibody-drug conjugates that specifically transport drugs to disease cells - the possibilities are enormous
Topic world Antibodies
Antibodies are specialized molecules of our immune system that can specifically recognize and neutralize pathogens or foreign substances. Antibody research in biotech and pharma has recognized this natural defense potential and is working intensively to make it therapeutically useful. From monoclonal antibodies used against cancer or autoimmune diseases to antibody-drug conjugates that specifically transport drugs to disease cells - the possibilities are enormous
