An exclusive international license contract of $1.56 billion has been signed between BMS (Bristol Myers Squibb) and Agenus, for AGEN1777, a bispecific antibody (BsAb) plan developed by Agenus, and for other unrevealed plans.
Agenus will receive $200 million from BMS as an upfront payment with the possibility of receiving up to $1.36 billion in regulatory, advancement, and marketing payments, along with the combined double-digit sale payments.
The BMS will be responsible for the production and worldwide commercialization of AGEN1777 and its associated products, as per the agreement.
Agenus will have the opportunity to conduct clinical trials, as well as combination experiments on some of the properties of AGEN1777, and will actively take part in the promotion of the product once it is launched in the United States.
AGEN1777, a crystallizable fragment-enhanced antibody, is now in the final phase of preclinical trials. It has the potential to boost the anti-tumor efficacy by inhibiting key receptors on T- cells and Nk ( Natural Killer) cells.
Debbie Law, Bristol Myers Squibb Tumor Microenvironment Thematic Research Center head said: “AGEN1777’s differentiated mechanism of action provides the potential for potent anti-tumor activity; catalyzing our clinical TIGIT strategy aimed at serving more patients with unmet needs in cancer.
“We look forward to working with Agenus to develop this important therapy as we continue to combat I-O resistance.”
In preclinical tumor studies where Anti-PD-1 ( Anti programmed cell death protein 1) or Anti-TIGIT ( T cell mono-receptors with Immunoglobulins and ITIM domains) non-specific antibodies are ineffective, the AGEN1777 approach has shown significant capability in enhancing anti-tumor activity.
Agenus is planning to submit an IND ( Investigational New Drug application) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States for the development of AGEN1777 by the end of this year.
BMS aims to accelerate the R&D (Research and Development) phase of this Immuno-oncology project for the indication of cancer like NSCLC ( Non-small cell lung cancer).
BMS and Molecular Templates announced a partnership in February to investigate and discover several new innovative medications.
