Merck, a global pharmaceutical company, has entered into a definitive agreement with Curon Biopharmaceutical to acquire its clinical-stage, B-cell targeting bispecific antibody, CN201.
The CD3xCD19-targeting T-cell-engager therapeutic is currently being tested in Phase I and Phase Ib/II clinical trials in patients with both relapsed/refractory non-Hodkin's lymphoma (NHL) and relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) respectively.
Under the agreement, Merck will obtain the global rights to CN201 at the cost of USD $700m in cash.
Curon will also be eligible to receieve up to $600m in milestone payments if the drug makes it through regulatory approval.
Data from the early-stage trials of CN201 show significant promise in patients with B-cell malignancies, with the therapeutic being well tolerated amongst the patient population.
It also appears to be able to induce sustained reductions in B-cell populations, which is critical to the treatment's efficacy.
“At Merck, we are eager to identify novel opportunities to expand and diversify our pipeline,” said Dr Dean Y. Li, the President of Merck Research Laboratories. “Early clinical data have provided robust evidence for the potential of CN201 to target and deplete circulating and tissue B-cells with the potential to treat a range of malignant and autoimmune diseases.”
President and CEO of Curon, Zhihong Chen, added: “As a pioneer in immuno-oncology, Merck is well positioned to build upon the work done to-date and investigate the wide-ranging, first-in-class potential of CN201.”