Takeda’s milestone payment strengthens BioInvent’s business model
BioInvent is reinforcing its position as a partner in antibody development. This was made evident as global pharmaceutical giant Takeda has initiated a phase III trial with mezagitamab (TAK-079) – an antibody originally identified using BioInvent’s proprietary n-CoDeR platform. As a result, a milestone payment of USD 1 million to BioInvent has been triggered.
Mezagitamab is being developed as a potentially best-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting CD38 for the treatment of chronic or persistent primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) – an autoimmune disease characterised by low platelet count and an increased risk of bleeding.
Takeda is developing the drug candidate under a royalty and milestone agreement with XOMA Corporation, through which Takeda has sublicensed the rights to the antibody from Swedish company BioInvent. Mezagitamab has already received both Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of ITP.
– We are excited to see mezagitamab progress into phase 3 trials, marking a significant step for Takeda and our n-CoDeR platform, says Martin Welschof, CEO of BioInvent.
Validating the science-driven platform
The advancement of mezagitamab into phase III is not only a testament to the fruitful collaboration with Takeda and XOMA – it also reflects the scientific foundation on which BioInvent’s discovery platform is built, and thus its business model. The candidate was identified through BioInvent’s proprietary n-CoDeR antibody library. BioInvent’s high-quality n-CoDeR library contains over 30 billion human antibody genes. Following screening and analysis in both in vitro and in vivo models, mezagitamab was selected as one of the most promising candidates for further development.
– This milestone not only validates the consistent high quality of drug candidates identified from our n-CoDeR antibody library, but it also highlights the success of our out-licensing strategy and its ability to drive real-world impact through strategic partnerships, says Martin Welschof.
Advancing a diverse clinical pipeline
BioInvent currently has two proprietary drug candidates in phase II clinical trials: BI-1808 (anti-TNFR2) for the treatment of CTCL and solid tumours, and BI-1206 (anti-FcγRIIB), which is being developed for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and solid tumours. In addition, the company has three more programs in early clinical phases: BI-1607, BI-1910, and BT-001, targeting various types of cancer.
Moreover, BioInvent has five clinical-stage projects that have been licensed out to Mitsubishi Tanabe, Abcentra, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Hope Medicine/Bayer, as well as Takeda – which has now delivered a milestone payment of USD 1 million.
With two ongoing phase II and four phase I studies, BioInvent can look forward to several milestones and expected data readouts during the year, including additional phase II data from its two lead programs in mid-2024. Read more.
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