EpimAb Biotherapeutics, a Chinese clinical stage biopharmaceutical firm specialising in the development of multi-specific antibodies, has signed an agreement with Almirall to develop bispecific antibodies for up to three undisclosed target pairs. It will give the Spanish company, which specialises in medical dermatology, access to the Chinese firm’s proprietary technology.

Under the agreement, Almirall will be able to generate, develop and market bispecific antibodies based on EpimAb's patented Fabs-In-Tandem Immunoglobulin (FIT-Ig) platform technology. The Spanish company will have exclusive global rights to the results. In return, the Chinese firm will receive a series of milestone payments totalling up to $210 million, which will depend on the commercial success of the products. It will also receive royalties on net sales.

New applications
EpimAb Founder and CEO Chengbin Wu sees this partnership with Almirall as the gateway “to expanding the application of our FIT-Ig technology beyond the oncology space”, adding, “While we have made significant progress in utilising our platform technology to develop a differentiated portfolio of bispecific antibodies in oncology, its potential in other areas, such as immunology, remains untapped”.

On the agreement with the Spanish pharmaceutical company, Wu explained, “We see Almirall as a long-term partner in this endeavour, and look forward to exploring the use of our new bispecific platform to offer additional treatment options for patients with immune-related disorders”.

Bringing innovation to patients
Almirall's Executive Vice President of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer, Karl Ziegelbauer, said that, “This agreement with EpimAb is an important step forward and a great example of our ambition to develop new biologics in the dermatology field, and ultimately to bring innovation to patients”.

The FIT-Ig technology platform, patented in all the world’s major markets, generates bispecific antibodies by solely utilising the basic structural parts of monoclonal antibodies, without adding any complex changes. EpimAb has been able to demonstrate the potential of this new platform to rapidly advance drug candidates from idea to development. The Shanghai-based Chinese company does in fact already have four bispecific molecules advanced into a clinical setting that use this technology.

^{Photo: Almirall}