Business
Vir Biotechnology Acts on Expanded Strategy of Powering the Immune System Through Exclusive Worldwide License Agreement with Sanofi for Multiple Potential Best-in-Class Clinical-Stage T-cell Engagers
– Bolsters clinical pipeline and adds near-term value creation opportunities – – Licenses proprietary masking platform with goal of minimizing off-tumor
About this update from Vir Biotechnology, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n– Bolsters clinical pipeline and adds near-term value creation opportunities –\n\n\n– Licenses proprietary masking platform with goal of minimizing off-tumor toxicity and offering expanded therapeutic index in patients –\n\n\n– Strategic deal highly synergistic with Vir’s mAb engineering platform and T-cell biology expertise –\n\n\n SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nVir Biotechnology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIR) today announced that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Sanofi for three clinical-stage masked T-cell engagers (TCEs) and exclusive use of the protease-cleavable masking platform for oncology and infectious diseases, acquired by Sanofi from Amunix Pharmaceuticals. The clinical-stage assets include SAR446309 (AMX-818), a dual-masked HER2-targeted TCE; SAR446329 (AMX-500), a dual-masked PSMA-targeted TCE; and SAR446368 (AMX-525), a dual-masked EGFR-targeted TCE. Sanofi’s proprietary masking platform can be applied to TCEs, cytokines, and other molecules by exploiting the intrinsically high protease activity of the tumor microenvironment to specifically activate drugs in tumor tissues. The selective activation of the molecules in the tumor microenvironment potentially increases the therapeutic index (TI) and mitigates toxicities associated with the systemic immune activation seen with traditional TCEs.\n\n\n\"At Vir, the cornerstone of our commitment is and always will be patient-centered, with the aim to advance transformative medicines for patients facing severe diseases with unmet medical needs. Despite recent innovation in cancer therapeutics, the prognosis for many patients remains poor and treatment-associated toxicity is a major problem,\" said Marianne De Backer, M.Sc., Ph.D., MBA, Vir’s Chief Executive Officer. “These potential best-in-class T-cell engagers aim to help address these problems and further us in our mission of powering the immune system to transform lives.”\n\n\nThis deal announcement coincides with the Company’s statement today on its strategic restructuring initiatives to prioritize its clinical-stage pipeline opportunities.\n\n\nSanofi’s masking platform has yielded three promising clinical-stage TCE programs:\n\n\n\nSAR446309 is a dual-masked HER2xCD3 TCE in Phase 1 clinical study including participants with metastatic treatment resistant HER2+ tumors such as breast and col...