On June 19, 2017 WILEX AG (ISIN DE000A11QVV0 / WL6 / FSE) reported its subsidiary, Heidelberg Pharma GmbH, Ladenburg, Germany, has signed an exclusive multi-target research agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502) for the joint development of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) that use Amanitin as the payload (Press release, Wilex, JUN 19, 2017, View Source [SID1234526974]).

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Under the terms of the exclusive multi-target research agreement, Heidelberg Pharma will produce Antibody Targeted Amanitin Conjugates (ATACs) using antibodies from Takeda’s proprietary portfolio for up to three undisclosed targets. Takeda has an option for an exclusive license for global development and commercialization rights to each of the product candidates resulting from the research collaboration. If it exercises the option, Takeda would be responsible for further preclinical and clinical development, as well as potential commercialization, of any product candidate it licenses.

Professor Andreas Pahl, Chief Scientific Officer of WILEX AG and Heidelberg Pharma GmbH, commented: "We are delighted about the collaboration with Takeda, which has broad expertise in oncology and is a leading ADC company. We believe this partnership provides further validation of our technology. Working with Takeda will allow us to jointly test and expand the application of the ATAC technology to selected antibodies."

Heidelberg Pharma will receive an upfront technology access fee and payments for research services. In the event Takeda exercises its option for an exclusive license, Heidelberg Pharma would receive an option fee. Under the exclusive license agreement, Heidelberg Pharma would be eligible to receive clinical development, regulatory and sales-related milestone payments of up to USD 113 million for each product candidate, as well as royalties.

The expected financial impact of this partnership is already reflected in WILEX’s financial outlook for the current fiscal year provided in March 2017.

"We see significant potential for Heidelberg Pharma’s ATAC technology, combined with our deep oncology expertise, to develop ADC therapies for patients with unmet medical needs," said Christopher Arendt, PhD, Head, Oncology DDU & Immunology Unit, Takeda. "We are excited about this relationship with Heidelberg Pharma, as partnerships such as this one are integral for us to achieve our aspiration of curing cancer."

Takeda signed the agreement with Heidelberg Pharma through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

About Heidelberg Pharma’s proprietary ATAC technology
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine the high affinity and specificity of antibodies with the potency of cytotoxic small molecules for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Antibody Targeted Amanitin Conjugates (ATACs) are ADCs whose active ingredient is made up of amatoxin molecules. Amatoxins are small bicyclic peptides naturally occurring in the death cap mushroom. They inhibit mRNA transcription by binding to RNA polymerase II, a mechanism that is crucial for the survival of eukaryotic cells. In preclinical testing, ATACs have been shown to be highly efficacious, overcoming frequently encountered resistance mechanisms and combating even quiescent tumor cells.