Agenus’ CD137 Agonist (AGEN2373) Advances in the Clinic, Triggering Milestone Payment from Gilead
05 April 2022 - 02:30PM
Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ: AGEN), an immuno-oncology company with an
extensive pipeline of therapeutics designed to activate immune
response to cancers and infections, today announced receipt of a
$5M clinical milestone payment for AGEN2373 (conditionally active
CD137 agonist). AGEN2373 is being evaluated in a Phase 1b
combination study with botensilimab (Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4), in
melanoma patients who had relapsed on, or were refractory to, prior
anti-PD-1 therapy.
“The majority of patients treated with anti-PD-1 progress within
a year and are in need of more effective treatment options,” said
Steven O’Day, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Agenus. “Botensilimab
has shown promising activity in a wide range of treatment-resistant
cancers, including melanoma. The rationale to combine botensilimab
and AGEN2373 is based on preclinical evidence we reported of
enhanced tumor control with this approach in a PD-1 resistant
melanoma model. This study represents a rationally designed
combination strategy to bring novel therapies to cancer
patients.”
AGEN2373 has demonstrated preliminary clinical benefit and has
been well tolerated without signs of liver toxicity, an adverse
event that has impacted competitor antibodies in the clinic. Gilead
currently has an exclusive option to license AGEN2373. Agenus
retains the right to opt-in to share Gilead’s development and
commercialization costs in the United States in exchange for a
50:50 profit share and US co-commercialization rights.
References
A. Tolcher et al., Initial findings of the first-in-human Phase
I study of AGEN2373, a conditionally active CD137 agonist antibody,
in patients (pts) with advanced solid tumors. Presented at the ASCO
2021 Virtual Meeting.
C. Galand et al., AGEN2373 is a CD137 agonist antibody designed
to leverage optimal CD137 and FcγR co-targeting to promote
antitumor immunologic effects. Presented at the SITC 2020 Virtual
Meeting.
About AGEN2373AGEN2373 is a fully human
monoclonal antibody designed to boost the immune response to cancer
cells by enhancing CD137 co-stimulatory signaling in activated
immune cells. The unique binding properties of AGEN2373 are
expected to limit its activity outside of the tumor site and
mitigate toxicities that may be associated with systemic activation
of CD137 in humans.
About BotensilimabBotensilimab (also known as
AGEN1181) is a next-generation, Fc-enhanced, immunoglobulin G1
(IgG1) antibody designed to block CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte
associated antigen 4) inhibitory function from interacting with its
ligands CD80 and CD86. The Fc region of the antibody was engineered
to enhance immune activation and tumor killing, improve safety, and
benefit a broader patient population versus first-generation anti
CTLA-4 antibodies. CTLA-4 is a negative regulator of immune
activation that is considered a foundational target within the
immuno-oncology market.
About AgenusAgenus is a clinical-stage
immuno-oncology company focused on the discovery and development of
therapies that engage the body's immune system to fight cancer. The
Company's vision is to expand the patient populations benefiting
from cancer immunotherapy by pursuing combination approaches that
leverage a broad repertoire of antibody therapeutics, adoptive cell
therapies (through its subsidiary MiNK Therapeutics), and adjuvants
(through its subsidiary SaponiQx). The Company is equipped with a
suite of antibody discovery platforms and a state-of-the-art GMP
manufacturing facility with the capacity to support clinical
programs. Agenus is headquartered in Lexington, MA. For more
information, please visit www.agenusbio.com and our Twitter handle
@agenus_bio. Information that may be important to investors will be
routinely posted on our website and Twitter.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release
contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the
safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including
statements relating to the use of therapeutic candidates AGEN2373
and botensilimab, for instance, statements regarding therapeutic
benefit and efficacy, mechanism of action, potency, durability, and
safety profile of the therapeutic candidates, both alone and in
combination with each other and/or other agents; future clinical
and regulatory development plans and commercialization plans for
AGEN2373 and botensilimab; and any other statements containing the
words "may," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "hopes,"
"intends," "plans," "will" and similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties
include, among others, the factors described under the Risk Factors
section of our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual
Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Agenus cautions investors not to place considerable
reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this
release. These statements speak only as of the date of this press
release, and Agenus undertakes no obligation to update or revise
the statements, other than to the extent required by law. All
forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their
entirety by this cautionary statement.
ContactAgenus
Inc.investor@agenusbio.com
Agenus Media RelationsKimberly HaKKH
Advisors917-291-5744kimberly.ha@kkhadvisors.com
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