- Collaboration to leverage AbbVie's therapeutic area
expertise and Tentarix's Tentacles™ platform, to develop novel
multifunctional biologics against one target in oncology and
another in immunology
- AbbVie will receive an exclusive option to acquire the
therapeutic programs following candidate nomination by
Tentarix
NORTH
CHICAGO, Ill. and SAN
DIEGO, Feb. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie Inc.
(NYSE: ABBV) and Tentarix Biotherapeutics today announced a
multi-year collaboration focused on the discovery and development
of conditionally-active, multi-specific biologic candidates in
oncology and immunology. The collaboration will integrate AbbVie's
expertise in oncology and immunology with Tentarix's proprietary
Tentacles™ platform.
Tentacles™ are multi-functional, conditionally-active
antibody-based biologics that are designed specifically to activate
immune cells that can modulate disease pathways, while potentially
mitigating safety concerns associated with non-specific targeting
of other immune cells.
"Oncology and immunology are two of our key strategic growth
areas where we are pursuing novel technologies that aim to deliver
transformative therapies, which address unmet patient needs," said
Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., senior
vice president and global head of discovery research, AbbVie. "This
strategic partnership complements our ongoing efforts in developing
novel biologics, potentially to expand our oncology and immunology
portfolios with conditionally-active multi-specific molecules."
"We are excited to join forces with AbbVie to help accelerate
cutting-edge, conditionally-active therapeutic programs towards
clinical applications for patients in need," said Don Santel, interim chief executive officer,
Tentarix Biotherapeutics. "This collaboration adds to our portfolio
of internal and external pipeline programs and is a strong
validation of our approach in understanding and targeting complex
immune interactions that drive cancers and inflammatory
diseases."
Under the terms of the agreements, Tentarix will receive upfront
option payments, totaling $64 million
from AbbVie, for the two programs. AbbVie will receive an exclusive
option to fully acquire the programs following candidate
nomination, for an additional undisclosed payment for each
program.
About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and
deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious
health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow.
We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across
several key therapeutic areas – immunology, oncology, neuroscience,
and eye care – and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics
portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us
at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie
on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly
Twitter), and YouTube.
About Tentarix
Tentarix's mission is to develop
first-in-class targeted, multifunctional, conditional therapies
across a range of indications of high unmet medical need. Tentarix
is focused on modulating cell specific functions while increasing
the safety profile for biologics. Tentarix has built a team that
aims to transform research and development through understanding
complex immune interactions (CellSurf™), discovery of novel human
antibodies (HuTARG™), and high-throughput screening of conditional
multi-specifics (FunctionSeq™). For more information, please visit
www.tentarix.com.
AbbVie Forward-Looking Statements
Some statements in
this news release are, or may be considered, forward-looking
statements for purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project"
and similar expressions and uses of future or conditional verbs,
generally identify forward-looking statements. AbbVie cautions that
these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially
from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.
Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to,
challenges to intellectual property, competition from other
products, difficulties inherent in the research and development
process, adverse litigation or government action, and changes to
laws and regulations applicable to our industry. Additional
information about the economic, competitive, governmental,
technological and other factors that may affect AbbVie's operations
is set forth in Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of AbbVie's 2023
Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, as updated by its subsequent
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. AbbVie undertakes no obligation,
and specifically declines, to release publicly any revisions to
forward-looking statements as a result of subsequent events or
developments, except as required by law.
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SOURCE AbbVie