Janssen Biotech is making a $3.5 million up-front payment to Genmab to access the latter’s DuoBody platform for the development of bispecific antibodies against multiple target combinations. The deal follows just six weeks after Genmab inked a DuoBody partnership with Novartis.
Under terms of the latest collaboration with Janssen, the latter will fully fund all Genmab’s research on up to 10 DuoBody programs. The firm could earn up to another $175 million in potential milestone and license payments for each product, plus future sales royalties.
“Since the introduction of our DuoBody platform in 2010, we have believed in its potential to become the preferred technology for next-generation bispecific antibody therapeutics,” comments CEO Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D. “Today’s announcement is another indicator that the pharmaceutical industry recognizes our leadership in the therapeutic antibody field.”