Friday, March 31, 2023
AstraZeneca has completed an exclusive global licence agreement with KYM Biosciences for CMG901, a potential first-in-class antibody drug conjugate (ADC) targeting Claudin 18.2, a promising therapeutic target in gastric cancers.
AstraZeneca has entered into an exclusive global licence for the research, development, manufacture and commercialisation of CMG901 for an upfront payment of $63m, with potential development and sales-related milestone payments of up to $1.1bn and tiered royalties up to low double digits. Within this programme, the company is committed to improving outcomes in gastric, liver, biliary tract, oesophageal, pancreatic and colourectal cancers.
CMG901 is a novel antibody drug conjugate targeting Claudin 18.2, and consists of an anti-Claudin 18.2 monoclonal antibody, a protease-degradable linker, and a cytotoxic small molecule monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). CMG901 is being developed for the treatment of solid tumours that express the cell surface protein Claudin 18.2, including gastric cancers. CMG901 is owned by KYM Biosciences, a joint venture established by affiliates of Keymed Biosciences and Lepu Biopharma.