NEW YORK — Swedish biotech firm Alligator Bioscience is working with the Finnish pharmaceutical company Orion to develop bispecific antibody cancer therapeutics.
The companies have signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement under which Orion is to choose immune-oncology targets for bispecific antibody cancer therapeutics. Alligator will then use its phage display libraries and RUBY bispecific antibody platform to develop the candidates. The agreement includes the option to develop three bispecific antibody cancer therapeutics.
"We are particularly pleased with this collaboration with Alligator Bioscience to develop new immuno-oncology treatments mobilizing the immune system to eliminate cancer cells," Outi Vaarala, senior vice president of R&D at Orion, said in a statement. "Bispecific antibodies provide as a tool many advantages for the next-generation immuno-oncology treatments with improved efficacy, particularly in the cancer patients who do not respond to the present available therapeutics."
Alligator is to receive an upfront payment and research support payments during the agreement's research phase and is eligible to receive up to €469 million ($548 million) in development, approval, and sales milestone payments. It may also receive royalties should Orion decide to continue the development and commercialization of the bispecific antibody candidates.