TJ Biopharma, a biopharmaceutical company based in China, has entered into a licensing agreement with the French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi. This agreement grants Sanofi exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize TJ Biopharma’s anti-CD73 antibody, uliledlimab (TJD5), in Greater China. As part of the deal, Sanofi will make an upfront payment of EUR 32 million to TJ Biopharma, along with near-term milestone payments and potential regulatory and sales milestone payments that could total up to EUR 213 million (USD 238 million).
TJ Biopharma will continue to lead the clinical development and supply the drug in the long term, while Sanofi will contribute to some development costs and take the lead on product commercialization. TJ Biopharma is also eligible to receive tiered royalties based on sales and additional milestone payments for new indications. The company, previously known as I-Mab Biopharma, was established as an independent entity in August of this year following a split that formed a separate US-based company.
CD73, the target of uliledlimab, is expressed on tumor cells and acts as a rate-limiting enzyme that converts adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to adenosine, which has immunosuppressive effects within the tumor microenvironment. Uliledlimab binds to CD73 in a non-substrate-competitive manner, reducing adenosine levels and enhancing the activity of anti-tumor immune cells. A Phase Ib/II study combining the drug with toripalimab for first-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has shown promising results.- Flcube.com
