Therapy was developed on Medarex’ UltiMAb technology as part of agreement with Centocor.
Medarex will receive a milestone payment from Centocor for submitting its treatment for chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis for marketing approval in the U.S. and in Europe.
Ustekinumab is a human mAb that binds to the cytokines IL-12 and IL-23. It was generated using Medarex’ UltiMAb® platform. Centocor first licensed this technology in 1997, and an expanded agreement for the development of antibodies was reported in 2000. In September, the relationship was once again extended.
Medarex states that it may receive additional milestone fees and royalties should this product get commercialized and achieve certain sales levels.
“We believe that the ongoing development progress of Ustekinumab and other antibody programs generated from Medarex’s UltiMAb platform will continue to highlight the therapeutic importance and value creation opportunities of antibodies and our technology,” remarks Howard H. Pien, president and CEO of Medarex.
Medarex reports seven antibodies in Phase III development, and two are licensed by Centocor. The company also has six candidates in Phase II trials, one of which is wholly owned.
