Deal watch: J&J and Genmab deal to push forward CD38 as a blood cancer target

A Flemming - Nature reviews. Drug discovery, 2012 - nature.com
A Flemming
Nature reviews. Drug discovery, 2012nature.com
Johnson and Johnson (J&J) has finalized a deal to in-license daratumumab, an anti-CD38
monoclonal antibody (mAb) that is in early-stage development for multiple myeloma by the
Danish biotech company Genmab. The deal includes a US $55 million upfront payment and
an $80 million equity stake in the company, as well as milestone payments, adding up to a
potential $1.1 billion. J&J will cover all development costs, including the bills for two Phase
I/II studies that are underway.Tuna Mutis, Associate Professor at the University Medical …
Johnson and Johnson (J&J) has finalized a deal to in-license daratumumab, an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (mAb) that is in early-stage development for multiple myeloma by the Danish biotech company Genmab. The deal includes a US $55 million upfront payment and an $80 million equity stake in the company, as well as milestone payments, adding up to a potential $1.1 billion. J&J will cover all development costs, including the bills for two Phase I/II studies that are underway.
Tuna Mutis, Associate Professor at the University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands, explains that despite the recent approval of several new anti-myeloma agents, such as lenalidomide (a derivative of thalidomide) and the proteasome inhibitors bortezomib and carfilzomib, multiple myeloma is still considered incurable. The glycoprotein CD38 is a particularly attractive target in multiple myeloma as it is highly expressed on malignant plasma cells in all stages of the disease, whereas it is not expressed (or expressed only at very low levels) on mature lymphocytes or non-haematopoietic tissues, and should therefore have a favourable side-effect profile.
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