Genmab Takes Full Control of Acasunlimab Development Program
05 August 2024 - 7:50PM
UK Regulatory
Genmab Takes Full Control of Acasunlimab Development Program
Company Announcement
- Genmab to assume sole responsibility for the continued
development and potential commercialization of
acasunlimab
- BioNTech has opted not to participate in the further
development of the acasunlimab program under the parties’ existing
collaboration agreement
- The overall collaboration between the companies to
continue unchanged
COPENHAGEN, Denmark; August 5, 2024 –
Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) announced today
that it will assume sole responsibility for the continued
development and potential commercialization of acasunlimab.
BioNTech SE (BioNTech) has opted not to participate in the further
development of the acasunlimab program under the parties’ existing
collaboration agreement. The program will be subject to payment of
certain milestones and a tiered single-digit royalty on net sales
by Genmab to BioNTech. Genmab plans to initiate the Phase 3 study
in the second half of this year. While the emerging
clinical profile of acasunlimab is encouraging, BioNTech informed
the company that it has taken this decision for reasons relating to
its portfolio strategy. The companies’ long-standing collaboration
in antibody science remains in place, and both parties will
continue with the existing programs under development under their
existing agreements, which were expanded in 2022.
“Genmab’s partnership with BioNTech is a highly successful one.
Together, we have demonstrated acasunlimab’s potential to impact
patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, as evidenced
by the promising initial results presented at the 2024 American
Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting,” said Jan van de Winkel,
Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. “Genmab is exceptionally
well-positioned to maximize the potential of acasunlimab, and we
are confident about the prospect of taking acasunlimab into
late-stage development as our second wholly owned Genmab asset in
addition to Rina-S. We look forward to our continued partnership
with BioNTech on other pipeline programs.”
The decision by BioNTech to not participate in the further
development of the acasunlimab program is not expected to impact
Genmab’s 2024 financial guidance.
About Acasunlimab (GEN1046)
Acasunlimab (GEN1046) is an investigational PD-L1x4-1BB bispecific
antibody fusing Genmab's proprietary DuoBody® technology
platform and BioNTech’s proprietary immunomodulatory antibodies.
Acasunlimab is designed to elicit an antitumor response via
conditional activation of 4-1BB on T cells and natural killer (NK)
cells, which is strictly dependent on simultaneous binding of the
PD-L1 arm.
The candidate is currently being investigated in three clinical
trials: (1) a Phase 1/2 safety and PK trial in patients with
multiple solid tumors, (2) a Phase 1 dose escalation trial in
patients with advanced solid tumors in Japan, and (3) a randomized
Phase 2 safety and efficacy trial with acasunlimab as a monotherapy
and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with non-small
cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have failed previous standard of care
treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Please visit
www.clinicaltrials.gov for more information.
About Genmab
Genmab is an international biotechnology company with a core
purpose of guiding its unstoppable team to strive toward improving
the lives of patients with innovative and differentiated antibody
therapeutics. For 25 years, its passionate, innovative and
collaborative team has invented next-generation antibody technology
platforms and leveraged translational, quantitative and data
sciences, resulting in a proprietary pipeline including bispecific
T-cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates, next-generation immune
checkpoint modulators and effector function-enhanced antibodies. By
2030, Genmab’s vision is to transform the lives of people with
cancer and other serious diseases with knock-your-socks-off
(KYSO®) antibody medicines.
Established in 1999, Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen,
Denmark, with international presence across North America, Europe
and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit Genmab.com and
follow us on LinkedIn and X.
Contact:
Marisol Peron, Senior Vice President, Global Communications &
Corporate Affairs
T: +1 609 524 0065; E: mmp@genmab.com
Andrew Carlsen, Vice President, Head of Investor Relations
T: +45 3377 9558; E: acn@genmab.com
This Company Announcement contains forward looking statements.
The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend” and “plan”
and similar expressions identify forward looking statements. Actual
results or performance may differ materially from any future
results or performance expressed or implied by such statements. The
important factors that could cause our actual results or
performance to differ materially include, among others, risks
associated with preclinical and clinical development of products,
uncertainties related to the outcome and conduct of clinical trials
including unforeseen safety issues, uncertainties related to
product manufacturing, the lack of market acceptance of our
products, our inability to manage growth, the competitive
environment in relation to our business area and markets, our
inability to attract and retain suitably qualified personnel, the
unenforceability or lack of protection of our patents and
proprietary rights, our relationships with affiliated entities,
changes and developments in technology which may render our
products or technologies obsolete, and other factors. For a further
discussion of these risks, please refer to the risk management
sections in Genmab’s most recent financial reports, which are
available on www.genmab.com and the risk factors
included in Genmab’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and
other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), which are available at
www.sec.gov. Genmab does not undertake any obligation
to update or revise forward looking statements in this Company
Announcement nor to confirm such statements to reflect subsequent
events or circumstances after the date made or in relation to
actual results, unless required by law.
Genmab A/S and/or its subsidiaries own the following
trademarks: Genmab®; the Y-shaped
Genmab logo®; Genmab in combination
with the Y-shaped Genmab logo®;
HuMax®;
DuoBody®;
HexaBody®;
DuoHexaBody®,
HexElect® and
KYSO®.
Company Announcement no. 51
CVR no. 2102 3884
LEI Code 529900MTJPDPE4MHJ122
Genmab A/S
Carl Jacobsens Vej 30
2500 Valby
Denmark
- 050824_CA51_Acasunlimab_Update
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