SOTIO Expands ADC Pipeline Through Licensing Agreement With Synaffix
Monday, October 16, 2023
Synaffix B.V., a company now part of Lonza (SIX:LONN), focuses on advancing its clinical-stage platform technology for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with a strong therapeutic index. They have entered into a licensing agreement with SOTIO Biotech (SOTIO), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company owned by PPF Group.
Under this agreement, SOTIO will gain access to Synaffix's ADC technologies, including GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™, and toxSYN™ linker-payloads, for an initial ADC program. There's also an option to extend research and commercial licenses into two additional programs later on.
The terms of the agreement stipulate that Synaffix can receive payments totaling up to $740 million, covering various stages, including the agreement's signing, target selection, and reaching specific milestones, along with additional royalties related to commercial sales. SOTIO will handle the research, development, and commercialization of the ADCs, while Synaffix will be responsible for manufacturing components related to its proprietary technologies.
Peter van de Sande, Head of Synaffix, stated, "The fact that a well-established player in the ADC field like SOTIO has chosen our ADC technologies underscores the potential of these technologies to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of ADCs. We eagerly anticipate working with SOTIO and believe that this partnership, given their strong focus on cancer immunotherapies and robust clinical pipeline, can bring innovative medicines to patients in areas with significant unmet medical needs."
Radek Spisek, Chief Executive Officer of SOTIO, added, "At SOTIO, we are actively building a broad pipeline of next-generation ADCs to address the challenges of solid tumors. Access to Synaffix's ADC platform technologies will help us stay at the forefront of this field. This collaboration, which combines SOTIO's deep expertise in developing drugs for solid tumors with Synaffix's clinical-stage platform technology, will lead to important innovations for the benefit of patients."
Notably, Lonza fully acquired Synaffix in June 2023, establishing it as a 'Center of Excellence' for bioconjugation. As a Lonza company, Synaffix will continue operating under the same name and expand its operations in Oss, Netherlands, to further drive innovation and growth.
Source: prnewswire.com
