On January 7, 2025 Avenzo Therapeutics, Inc. ("Avenzo"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation oncology therapies, and Duality Biotherapeutics ("DualityBio"), a clinical-stage biotech company focusing on the discovery and development of next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, reported that they have entered into an exclusive license agreement, pursuant to which Avenzo will develop, manufacture and commercialize AVZO-1418/DB-1418, a potential best-in-class EGFR/HER3 bispecific ADC, globally (excluding Greater China) (Press release, Avenzo Therapeutics, JAN 6, 2025, View Source [SID1234649459]).

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"DualityBio has a strong track record of developing and advancing a pipeline of differentiated ADCs that target a broad range of indications," said Athena Countouriotis, M.D., Co-founder, President and CEO of Avenzo Therapeutics. "By targeting both EGFR and HER3 with its differentiated design, AVZO-1418/DB-1418 has the potential to provide clinical benefit across multiple solid tumor types. We are excited to add this drug candidate to our clinical pipeline and look forward to collaborating with DualityBio to quickly progress this program into clinical studies."

Under the terms of the agreement, DualityBio will receive an upfront payment of $50 million and will be eligible to receive up to approximately $1.15 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments. In addition, DualityBio is eligible to receive tiered royalties on sales in Avenzo’s territory.

"DualityBio and Avenzo share a common purpose in developing the next generation of oncology therapies that address underserved therapeutic areas," said John Zhu, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of DualityBio. "Based on preclinical studies, we believe AVZO-1418/DB-1418 has the potential to offer enhanced therapeutic benefits over other therapies. We look forward to partnering with the Avenzo team to accelerate the development of this program and provide a potential new treatment option to cancer patients."

IND-enabling studies are ongoing with plans to advance AVZO-1418/DB-1418 into a first-in-human clinical study this year.

About AVZO-1418/DB-1418
AVZO-1418/DB-1418 is an EGFR/HER3 dual targeting, topoisomerase-1 inhibitor-based ADC built from DualityBio’s proprietary Duality Innovative Bispecific Antibody Conjugate (DIBAC) platform. In preclinical studies, AVZO-1418/DB-1418 has exhibited higher binding affinity to tumor cells and has demonstrated its efficacy potential across various solid tumors, including those that are EGFR-resistant, EGFR-low or HER3-resistant.