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EUSA Pharma has announced that it has licensed OP-R003, a human anti-interleukin-6 antibody discovered by Vaccinex, to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
Under the terms of the deal, GSK will pay an up-front fee, development milestones, and royalties on product sales to acquire the exclusive worldwide rights to develop OP-R003 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other disease indications.
Vaccinex will share 50% of fees, payments and royalties.
Vaccinex discovered the antibody thanks to its ActivMAb application and it was first licensed for co-development by EUSA Pharma (formerly OPi SA).
Dr Maurice Zauderer, Vaccinex’s president and CEO, said: “We are pleased that our collaboration in the discovery and co-development of OP-R003 has attracted such a world-class partner as GSK. Together with previously announced antibody partnerships with Biocon Ltd and Teva Pharmaceutical, this transaction further validates the quality of human antibodies selected with Vaccinex’s ActivMAb antibody discovery technology.”
Brian McVeigh, GSK’s worldwide business development director of M&A strategy and transactions, said: “Interleukin-6 is increasingly recognised as an important biological target in a range of diseases, and consequently OP-R003 has great potential to meet a number of unmet medical needs.”
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