- Synaffix will provide all necessary proprietary ADC technologies, including GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™, and select toxSYN™ linker-payloads
- Kyowa Kirin will leverage its innovative antibody-based therapeutics pipeline to develop a portfolio of ADCs with optimized therapeutic index
TOKYO, JAPAN and AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – August 4, 2021 – Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (TSE:4151, President and CEO: Masashi Miyamoto, ”Kyowa Kirin”), a global specialty pharmaceutical company that strives to create new value through the pursuit of advances in life sciences and technologies, and Synaffix B.V. (CEO: Peter van de Sande, ”Synaffix”), a biotechnology company with a clinical-stage platform technology enabling best-in-class antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), today announced the signing of a license and option agreement.
In exchange for the license signature fee, Synaffix will initially provide target-specific rights to its proprietary ADC technologies, enabling Kyowa Kirin to evaluate two of its antibodies as proprietary ADC therapeutic candidates within its pipeline. Kyowa Kirin may expand the deal with additional ADC targets at a later point in time. Under the terms of the agreement, upon exercise of an option by Kyowa Kirin for further development and commercialisation of such selected ADC target, Synaffix is eligible to receive a license issuance fee for each additional target and milestone payments plus royalties on potential future commercial sales of ADCs developed against each licensed target. The agreement is the culmination of a successful initial research period between the companies.
The technologies licensed from Synaffix include GlycoConnect™, HydraSpace™, and multiple toxSYN™ linker-payloads, which allow for the drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) to be tailored to 1, 2 or 4 to optimize the therapeutic index of the ADC.
Yoshifumi Torii, Executive Officer, Vice President, Head of R&D Division of Kyowa Kirin said:
“Kyowa Kirin is committed to realizing the successful creation and delivery of life-changing value that ultimately makes people smile. We believe that Synaffix’s cutting-edge ADC technologies will enable us to rapidly generate multiple potential ADC pharmaceutical candidates, spanning different mechanisms of action and optimal structures, under a single, simple technology access license and result in providing new therapeutic options for people living with disease.”
Peter van de Sande, CEO of Synaffix said:
“This collaboration is our sixth announced out-licensing deal, expanding the geographic footprint of and validation of our ADC technologies. At the same time, this brings the number of ADCs in development based on Synaffix’ technologies beyond 10, with three of those partnered programs already in clinical trials.”
“We look forward to building on our already close collaboration with the Kyowa Kirin team over the coming years to successfully address areas of high unmet medical need.”
About Kyowa Kirin
Kyowa Kirin strives to create and deliver novel medicines with life-changing value. As a Japan-based Global Specialty Pharmaceutical Company with a more than 70-year heritage, the company applies cutting-edge science including an expertise in antibody research and engineering, to address the needs of patients and society across multiple therapeutic areas including Nephrology, Oncology, Immunology/Allergy and Neurology. Across our four regions – Japan, Asia Pacific, North America and EMEA/International – we focus on our purpose, to make people smile, and are united by our shared values of commitment to life, teamwork/Wa, innovation, and integrity. You can learn more about the business of Kyowa Kirin at: https://www.kyowakirin.com.
