Ichnos Sciences has entered into an exclusive global licensing agreement for its OX40 antagonist monoclonal antibody portfolio with Astria Therapeutics, the company said.

Astria will develop and commercialise the OX40 portfolio, comprising telazorlimab and its follow-on molecules, for use in inflammatory and immune diseases. Ichnos will receive an upfront payment of $320 million, besides low double-digit royalty payments, under the transaction.

Ichnos is Glenmark’s US-based research-oriented subsidiary and the deal is in line with projections made by the management of the parent company, earlier this year. Astria is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for rare allergic and immunological diseases.

With the execution of this agreement, Ichnos has licensed two assets for inflammatory and immunological diseases, a key development as the company prioritises its pipeline of oncology drug candidates, Ichnos said.

Astria will assume full cost and responsibility for the global development and commercialisation of the licensed therapeutic programme for all indications. And Ichnos will receive up to $320 million in upfront, development, regulatory and sales milestone payments, in addition to up to low double-digit royalties, the company said. It will also allow Astria to draw on its existing investigational drug substance and drug product stocks at normalised costs to facilitate development, it added.

Telazorlimab is a novel, humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that targets OX40 on T-cells responsible for inflammation and immunity diseases, the company said. Excessive OX40 signalling, expressed on activated T cells, is a feature of several inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD).

The agreement enables the Ichnos team to focus on advancing its robust pipeline of clinical-stage multi-specific antibodies in oncology, generated by their proprietary BEAT platform, as well as continue the discovery and development of NK-cell engaging programmes for solid tumors, said Cyril Konto, Ichnos President and CEO.

Jill Milne, co-founder and CEO of Astria Therapeutics said, that by using “Ichnos’ affinity-matured next generation monoclonal antibody OX40 antagonist, and applying YTE half-life extension technology, we have the potential to deliver a best-in-class profile for atopic dermatitis patients; one that we think can be safe, effective, and long-acting.” She also pointed to the opportunity to expand its use to additional indications.

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