Beijing News Tianjing Biotech announced on its official WeChat official account on September 25 that it had reached strategic cooperation with Sanofi on the development, production and commercialization of the globally innovative CD73 antibody uliledlimab independently developed by Tianjing Biotech in Greater China.
Yulelimumab is an innovative CD73 antibody with differentiated advantages, which enhances the body's immune response to cancer cells by regulating the tumor microenvironment. At present, the drug is undergoing critical research in China in combination with trastuzumab for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). At the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Tianjing Biotechnology released data from phase 1b/2 clinical studies conducted in the United States and China. Data shows that 31% of newly diagnosed NSCLC patients have a therapeutic response to combination therapy; Among patients with high CD73 expression and PD-L1 positivity, 63% of patients responded to combination therapy. The biomarker analysis results showed that high expression of tumor CD73 is closely related to treatment response, further suggesting the potential of CD73 expression as a predictive biomarker.
According to the terms of the agreement, Sanofi will be granted the exclusive license to develop, produce and commercialize Urinary McAb in Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Tianjing Biotechnology will receive a down payment and a series of milestone payments, including two recent milestone payments. Tianjing Biotechnology will lead the clinical development of Yulelimumab for specific cancer indications, and be responsible for clinical drug supply and long-term commercial production. Sanofi will jointly bear part of the clinical development costs and lead the commercialization of the product in Greater China.
Sanofi will make a down payment of approximately 32 million euros (approximately 250 million yuan) and recent milestone payments, as well as specific registration and sales milestone payments, to Tianjing Biotechnology; The maximum potential total consideration shall not exceed 213 million euros (approximately 1.7 billion yuan). After the commercialization of the product, Tianjing Biotechnology will have the right to receive a tiered royalty based on the net sales of Yulelimab in Greater China, up to a double-digit percentage. In addition to the financial terms mentioned above, Tianjing Biotechnology will also receive additional milestone payments upon regulatory approval for each new indication of Yulelimab.
TJ Biopharma is a biotechnology company focused on innovative therapies for autoimmune diseases and tumors, committed to bringing breakthrough treatment methods to patients worldwide through cutting-edge innovation.