China-based I-Mab (NASDAQ: IMAB) detailed a licensing and equity investment deal between its German partner MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Nasdaq: MOR) and U.S. biotech Human Immunology Biosciences, Inc. (HIBio). Under the agreement, MorphoSys granted HIBio global rights to develop and commercialize two drugs: the CD38 antibody felzartamab and the C5aR1 antibody TJ210, excluding Greater China for felzartamab and Greater China/South Korea for TJ210.
Partnership Structure
I-Mab holds exclusive rights to felzartamab in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau via a 2017 licensing pact with MorphoSys. A follow-up deal in 2018 expanded I-Mab’s rights to TJ210 in Greater China and South Korea. HIBio’s agreement grants it ex-Greater China rights to felzartamab and global rights to TJ210 outside I-Mab’s territories.
Development Progress
I-Mab has completed a regulatory clinical study for felzartamab in third-line multiple myeloma (MM) and enrolled patients in a Phase III trial for second-line MM. TJ210, meanwhile, is in Phase I testing for general tumors in the U.S. under MorphoSys’ supervision.
Company Backgrounds
MorphoSys, a German biotech, focuses on antibody-based therapies. I-Mab, a China-based oncology specialist, has advanced felzartamab toward late-stage trials in MM. HIBio, a U.S. startup, aims to leverage the licensing deal to expand its immuno-oncology pipeline globally.-Fineline Info & Tech
