Lilly Expands Oncology Partnership With Zymeworks
Eli Lilly & Co. announced that it is expanding its licensing and collaboration agreement with Canadian biotherapeutics firm Zymeworks — a move that could end up making the partnership worth up to $375 million.
The companies’ partnership began in January 2014 and leveraged Zymeworks’ proprietary Azymetric platform to develop an unknown number of novel bi-specific antibody therapeutics. No financial terms of the agreement were disclosed by Zymeworks or Lilly’s subsidiary ImClone Systems at the time.
Under the terms of the new agreement, Lilly will pay Zymeworks up to $375 million in milestones, royalties, and sales. The expansion will include the development of a number of immuno-modulatory bi-specific antibodies against several therapeutic targets.
Ali Tehrani, president and CEO of Zymeworks, said, “We are delighted to expand our collaboration to develop novel bi-specific immunotherapies. This expansion of our strategic collaboration speaks to the robustness of our Azymetric platform for the development of innovative biologics.”
Bi-specific antibodies induce additive or synergistic responses through their simultaneous targeting of two proteins. Zymeworks’ Azymetric platform produces bi-specific antibodies that resemble standard monospecific antibodies while incorporating two different Fab domains that bind to different antigens or drug targets.
Sue Mahony, SVP, and president of Lilly Oncology, said, “We are pleased to expand our collaboration with Zymeworks to develop potential immunotherapies for those fighting cancer around the world. There are many targets involved in the controlled activation and redirection of the immune system and we know that immunotherapies will not be a one-size-fits-all treatment.”
This most recent agreement will help to add to Lilly’s continually growing bi-specific antibody and immunotherapy research portfolio. Indeed, the company recently forged another partnership to discover and develop cancer therapies together with Immunocore.