WuXi Biologics and GSK Enter License Agreement for Bispecific Development
Earlier this year, WuXi Biologics announced a significant license agreement with GSK plc that grants GSK exclusive licenses for the development and commercialisation of bispecific T cell engaging (TCE) antibodies. Under the terms of the deal, GSK will receive an exclusive global license for one preclinical bispecific TCE antibody and the option for three additional bi-/multispecific TCE antibodies developed using WuXi’s proprietary technology platforms.
In exchange for these licenses, WuXi will receive an upfront payment of $40 million and tiered royalties on net sales. WuXi stands to gain up to $1.46 billion in additional payments for research, development, regulatory, and commercial milestones achieved across the four TCE antibodies.
This agreement serves as a testament to the value of WuXi Biologics' CD3 platform and WuXiBody® platform, further establishing the company as a leader in biologics research and development. The CEO of WuXi, Chris Chen, expressed his excitement about the partnership with GSK, stating that it validates the potential of their platforms. He emphasised their commitment to providing “global open-access technology platforms with premier quality and execution.” With this collaboration, WuXi aims to help GSK bring potentially life-saving therapeutics to patients worldwide.
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John Lepore, Senior Vice President and Head of Research at GSK commented on the agreement, highlighting the strategic importance of WuXi’s bi-specific TCE antibodies in expanding GSK's oncology portfolio. These optimised antibodies have the potential to effectively target and kill tumour cells while maintaining a desirable safety profile, addressing significant unmet medical needs across various tumour types.
WuXi’s proprietary technology platforms, such as WuXiBody®, provide essential breakthroughs in the development of bispecific antibodies. WuXiBody® demonstrates high expression yield, stability, solubility, and ease of purification, which can significantly reduce manufacturing costs and expedite the development process. This platform enables the assembly of various bispecific constructs with low immunogenicity risk and longer in vivo half-life, enhancing their therapeutic potential.
In addition to WuXiBody®, WuXi Biologics has developed other proprietary bispecific and multispecific antibody platforms, including SDArBodyTM and SkyBodyTM. Together with WuXiBody®, these platforms enable the company to meet diverse biology needs and support the development of assets included in the GSK license agreement.
The agreement with GSK represents a significant milestone for WuXi, reaffirming its position as a leading provider of innovative biologic solutions. Through this partnership, WuXi and GSK aim to advance the development of groundbreaking therapeutics that can improve patient outcomes and address unmet medical needs in oncology.
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