Numab and Ono Announce Option and Collaboration Agreement to Develop Multi-specific Antibody NM49 for Treatment of Cancer

On February 14, 2024 Numab Therapeutics AG ("Numab") and Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Ono") reported a global research, development and commercialization collaboration for NM49, a multi-specific antibody designed to activate tumor associated macrophage phagocytosis for the treatment of cancers and identified through Numab’s proprietary discovery and engineering technology platform (Press release, Numab, FEB 14, 2024, View Source [SID1234640106]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Under the terms of the agreement, Ono has obtained an option to in-license NM49 from Numab for global development and commercialization, with Numab retaining an option to co-develop and commercialize in the United States. The option can be exercised prior to the start of a Phase 3 clinical trial and, if exercised, Numab will be eligible for co-promotion and a 50/50 profit split arrangement in the United States. Numab will be responsible for conducting preclinical studies and CMC activities with Ono covering the related expenses and being responsible for development and associated costs if the program enters clinical development. Numab will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for additional payments based upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and sales milestones as well as tiered royalties on net sales.

"This important partnership marks our third collaboration with Ono and the first one where Numab has the option to co-develop and commercialize in the United States. We are thrilled to continue working with Ono on developing new high impact multi-specific therapeutics for cancer patients," said David Urech, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Numab Therapeutics. "The collaboration will further expand Numab’s product pipeline and improve the productivity of our R&D activities."

"We are very pleased to strengthen the partnership with Numab through the development and commercialization of NM49 generated through Numab’s unique multi-specific antibody platform," said Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director, Discovery & Research of Ono. "We are committed to the development and commercialization of NM49 to deliver it as a new therapeutic option to patients as soon as possible by maximally utilizing Ono’s deep immuno-oncology expertise."