AbbVie, Genmab Team Up for Antibody Therapeutics for Cancer

AbbVie and Genmab recently signed a broad collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize Genmab’s three early-stage investigational antibody therapeutics for cancer. 

Genmab said it will leverage AbbVie’s clinical expertise, innovative antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform and global commercial leadership in hematological cancers. 

AbbVie’s ADC technology ensures the delivery of therapeutic toxin directly to cancer cells while keeping healthy cells protected. 

Together, the companies will develop Genmab’s next-generation bispecific antibody programs, epcoritamab (DuoBody-CD3xCD20), DuoHexaBody-CD37, and DuoBody-CD3x5T4. 

“This transformative collaboration will allow us to accelerate, broaden and maximize the development of some of our promising early-stage bispecific antibodies, including epcoritamab, with the ultimate goal of bringing these potential therapies much faster to cancer patients,” Jan van de Winkel, PhD, chief executive officer of Genmab, said in the announcement. 

“Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new journey for Genmab that combines our world-class knowledge in antibody biology and deep expertise in truly innovative next-generation antibody technology platforms, with AbbVie’s R&D prowess and their leadership position in hematological cancers.”

DuoBody-CD3 targets CD20 on the B-cells technology. It engages and directs cytotoxic T cells selectively to tumors to elicit an immune response towards malignant tumor cells, 

In numerous laboratory models, epcoritamab has shown highly effective killing of CD20+ tumors and induced potent tumor cells across a panel of B cell tumor lines, Genmab explained.

The companies will share commercial responsibilities in the US and Japan for epcoritamab, with AbbVie responsible for further global commercialization, according to the partnership announcement. 

Meanwhile, Genmab will book net sales in the US and Japan and receive tiered royalties on remaining global sales. Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will pay Genmab $750 million with the potential for Genmab to receive up to $3.15 billion in additional development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments for all programs, the company said.

“Epcoritamab is a strong fit for our robust hematological oncology franchise”,  said Michael Severino, MD, vice chairman and president, AbbVie. “By combining the strengths of our two organizations, we can advance the treatment landscape for patients battling cancer.”

Genmab explained that epcoritamab is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 study for multiple hematological B cell malignancies.

AbbVie and Genmab are just a few companies that are continuously researching and developing potential novel cancer therapies. 

Last week, AstraZeneca and Accent Therapeutics partnered to discover, develop, and commercialize cancer therapies targeting RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs). 

The companies will focus on targeting RMPs proteins that control RNA biology and attempt to address disruptions that can lead to cancer and cause resistance to medicine.

Under the terms of the arrangement, Accent Therapeutics will be responsible for research and development of activities for a preclinical program through to the end of Phase I clinical trials, AstraZeneca said.

The company will receive an upfront payment of $55 million and is eligible to receive additional success-based payments across all programs.

AstraZeneca will lead the development and commercialization activities for the program following the clinical trial. Accent will be able to jointly develop and commercialize with AstraZeneca.

“This collaboration leverages both AstraZeneca’s vast cancer expertise and resources and Accent’s rich pipeline of RMP therapeutic programmes to bring new and potentially life-changing medicines to patients,” said Shakti Narayan, chief executive officer, Accent Therapeutics. 

“This collaborative effort will enable us to rapidly advance and achieve the rich therapeutic potential of these exciting programmes.”