Chinese biopharmaceutical company Innovent Biologics has signed a collaboration and exclusive license agreement with Roche to advance the development of IBI3009.
Under the agreement, Roche will obtain exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialise IBI3009.
The two companies will work together on the early-stage development of this ADC candidate, and Roche will take over full development.
Innovent will receive an upfront payment of $80m and is eligible to receive up to $1bn in development and commercial milestone payments, along with tiered royalties on net sales.
The collaboration aims to bring advanced treatment options to patients with advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
Roche corporate business development head Boris Zaïtra said: “We are excited to enter this partnership with the Innovent team to further develop this promising investigational treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer.
“This partnership builds on Roche’s long history of innovation in the area of ADCs, to address the unmet needs of patients with solid tumors with transformational medicines.”
IBI3009 is a novel antibody drug conjugate (ADC) candidate that targets DLL3, an antigen with low expression in normal tissues but significantly overexpressed in certain cancers.
It was developed using Innovent’s unique topoisomerase 1 inhibitor (TOPO1i) platform.
IBI3009 has already obtained IND approvals in Australia, China, and the US, with the first patient for the Phase 1 study dosed in December 2024.
Also, it has shown promising anti-tumour activity in multiple tumour-bearing mouse models, particularly in chemo-resistant tumour types, and a favourable safety profile, said Innovent.
Innovent chief business officer Samuel Zhang said: “We are delighted to once again enter a strategic collaboration with Roche, a global leader in oncology, to advance our potentially best-in-class DLL3 ADC candidate.
“By combining Roche’s scientific expertise and global development capabilities with our innovative approach, we are taking a significant step forward in our mission, to empower patients worldwide with affordable, high-quality biopharmaceuticals.”
