NEW YORK – AstraZeneca said on Thursday that it has licensed CMG901, a Claudin 18.2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, from Keymed Biosciences and Lepu Biopharma joint venture KYM Biosciences.
In exchange for the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize CMG901 globally, AstraZeneca will pay $63 million upfront to KYM Biosciences followed by additional development and sales milestone payments totaling up to $1.1 billion and tiered royalties up to the low double digits. The licensing deal is expected to close during the first half of 2023.
Chengdu, China-based KYM is currently evaluating the investigational therapy in a Phase I trial among patients with Claudin 18.2-positive solid tumors including gastrointestinal cancers. The drug has demonstrated encouraging safety and anti-tumor efficacy, according to KYM.
"CMG901 strengthens our growing pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates and supports our ambition to expand treatment options and transform outcomes for patients with gastrointestinal cancers," Puja Sapra, senior VP of biologics engineering and oncology targeted delivery at AstraZeneca, said in a statement.