JW Therapeutics (HKG: 2126), a biopharmaceutical company based in China, has announced an exclusive collaboration agreement with US biotech firm 2seventy Bio Inc. (NASDAQ: TSVT) to jointly develop, manufacture, and commercialize an unspecified chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy product for autoimmune diseases in the Greater China region. JW will take the lead in process development and initiate a first-in-human trial in China, with development expenses to be shared by both parties.
Within a specified period, JW has the exclusive right to negotiate a license for exclusive development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights to the drug in the Greater China region. JW will also pay “tens of millions” of US dollars in development, regulatory filing, and sales milestone payments, alongside royalties based on global net sales. The collaboration is expected to extend to other candidate products in the future.
The two companies first established a partnership in 2022 concerning the MAGE-A4 T cell receptor (TCR) program. In October 2022, JW and 2seventy formed an alliance allowing JW to develop up to two candidate drugs from 2seventy’s product portfolio, one being a T cell receptor-based technology targeting solid tumors and the other CAR-T therapy targeting autoimmune diseases. JW subsequently initiated a study for the MAGE-A4 program in solid tumors ahead of schedule.- Flcube.com
