January 11, 2021 -- Sanofi has entered into an agreement to acquire monoclonal antibody manufacturer Kymab for an upfront payment of approximately $1.1 billion and up to $350 million in certain milestone achievements.
The transaction will give Sanofi full global rights to KY1005, a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to the OX40 ligand and has the potential to treat a variety of immune-mediated diseases and inflammatory disorders. The candidate met primary endpoints in a phase IIB clinical trial in moderate to severe atopic dermatitis patients. KY1005 was discovered using Kymab's proprietary integrated platform, IntelliSelect, which contains a full diversity of human antibodies.
Kymab's pipeline also includes other oncology assets including KY1044, an inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS) agonist monoclonal antibody that is in early clinical development.