Huadong Medicine Co., Ltd. (SHE: 000963), a Chinese pharmaceutical company, has entered into a licensing agreement with South Korea’s IMBiologics, securing development, regulatory filing, manufacturing, and commercialization rights for the autoimmune drug candidates IMB-101 and IMB-102. This agreement spans China and 36 additional Asian countries, excluding Japan, South Korea, and North Korea.
As part of the deal, Huadong will make an upfront payment of $6 million to IMBiologics, along with $2 million in technology transfer milestone payments. The agreement also includes potential milestone payments of up to $307.5 million related to development, regulatory filings, and commercialization, as well as double-digit royalties on future sales.
Founded in 2020, IMBiologics leverages next-generation IgM platform technology, ePENDY, to create innovative immunotherapies targeting autoimmune diseases and cancer.
IMB-101 is a bispecific antibody targeting OX40L and TNFα, initially developed by HK-InnoN and Y-Biologics, which licensed the drug to IMB in 2020. Currently, IMB-101 is undergoing a Phase I study for rheumatoid arthritis in the U.S. In parallel, Sanofi’s SAR442970, a comparable product, is in Phase II trials for conditions including purulent sweat gland inflammation and minimal change nephrotic syndrome.
Conversely, IMB-102 is an OX40L-targeted monoclonal antibody currently in preclinical studies for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and other autoimmune conditions. There are five such drug candidates in development worldwide, with the most advanced being Sanofi’s amlitelimab, which is in Phase III trials for atopic dermatitis and is also being evaluated for asthma and other conditions.- Flcube.com
