March 2 Quick Takes: Sanofi adds mAb masking tech in Adagene deal
Plus NIH ends only active arm in ACTIV-2 and updates from Oculis, Ampio, Inovio, Epsilogen, Lexeo, BlueWillow-Medigen, Epigeneron
Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NASDAQ:SNY) is adding a mAb masking technology to its drug discovery armamentarium via a deal with Adagene Inc. (NASDAQ:ADAG). Adagene granted Sanofi exclusive rights to develop and commercialize up to four monoclonal or bispecific antibody candidates using Adagene’s SAFEbody platform, which masks a mAb’s binding domain until it is activated within the tumor microenvironment. Adagene will receive $17.5 million up front and is eligible for up to $2.5 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties.
The deal includes two initial candidates nominated by Sanofi with an option to apply the technology to a further two programs. The deal is at least Adagene’s fifth licensing agreement for its SAFEbody technology. The company, which went public in February 2021 in a $160.7 million IPO, has three programs in clinical testing, including ADG126, a mAb targeting CTLA-4 that uses the SAFEbody technology. Adagene closed Wednesday down $0.16 to $5.34...