French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has agreed to acquire bispecific myeloid cell engager DR-0201 from the US-based biopharmaceutical firm Dren Bio.
The acquisition involves an upfront payment of $600m, with an additional $1.3bn contingent on development and launch milestones.
In pre-clinical and early clinical studies, DR-0201 has shown significant B-cell depletion, presenting a promising therapeutic candidate.
The acquisition is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2025.
Upon closing, Dren Bio will continue its independent operations, focusing on its pipeline of antibody therapeutics aimed at selectively depleting pathogenic cells.
Sanofi intends to finance the transaction using existing cash resources
Sanofi research and development head Houman Ashrafian said: “Deep B-cell depletion is at the frontier of treating autoimmune diseases and using the myeloid cell engager DR-0201 has the potential to elevate the treatment effect for patients, in particular patients refractory to existing treatments.
“This is yet another important step in Sanofi’s ambition to bring breakthrough medicines to patients, and further strengthens our robust pipeline focused on the immune system.
“Through our own research and strategic licensing and acquisitions, we continue to advance our goal of becoming the leader in immunology.”
Dren Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, specialises in developing novel antibody therapeutics for cancer, autoimmune, and other serious diseases.
DR-0201, a potential first-in-class CD20-directed bispecific antibody, targets myeloid cells to induce B-cell depletion through targeted phagocytosis.
The drug is being evaluated in two ongoing Phase 1 studies and has shown deep and robust B-cell depletion in non-clinical and clinical settings.
In the early clinical data, DR-0201 helped reset the adaptive immune system, with sustained treatment-free remission for patients with refractory B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases.
Dren Bio co-founder and CEO Nenad Tomasevic said: “Dren Bio is committed to redefining treatment possibilities in immunology, oncology, and other therapeutic areas with our targeted myeloid engager and phagocytosis platform.
“It has been a privilege to advance our lead platform program, DR-0201 into clinical development and evaluate its potential to achieve potent B-cell depletion.
“As a leader in immunology, Sanofi is ideally positioned to unlock the power of deep B-cell depletion and immune reset for autoimmune patients with this novel myeloid cell engager.”
