AbelZeta Pharma Inc., a Sino-US biotechnology company with operations in Rockville, Maryland, and Shanghai, China, has announced an updated global collaboration and licensing agreement with Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J; NYSE: JNJ). According to the revised agreement, Janssen will now secure commercialization rights to CAR-T therapies C-CAR039 and C-CAR066 in China. These two drug candidates are chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T treatments currently in clinical studies for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).
The initial partnership between AbelZeta and Janssen was established in May, granting the US company exclusive development rights for the two molecules in markets outside of China, with an option to include China. The latest clinical data for the CD19/CD20 targeted C-CAR039 and CD20 targeted C-CAR066 were presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting, demonstrating their potential to become best-in-class drugs for recurrent/refractory NHL. C-CAR039 is currently undergoing a Phase Ib study in China.
In September, J&J restructured its innovative medicine and medical technology divisions under the Johnson & Johnson umbrella. The company intends to gradually rebrand the pharmaceutical segment Janssen as Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, while its other unit will continue as Johnson & Johnson MedTech.- Flcube.com
