16 April 2018 - - Exton, Pennsylvania-based clinical-stage biotechnology company Morphotek, Inc. has licensed its eribulin-linker payload to Hangzhou, China-based biopharmaceutical company Bliss Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd., the company said.
The licensing agreement grants BlissBio the exclusive right to use the eribulin-linker payload to develop a therapeutic antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) against an undisclosed oncology target for the China market.
The licensing agreement includes an upfront payment, milestones and sales royalty payments, which are undisclosed.
BlissBio has an exclusivity option to expand the territory beyond China to the global market and to develop therapeutic ADCs to two additional undisclosed oncology targets.
Morphotek's ADC services offer third parties the opportunity to license the proprietary eribulin-linker payload to develop investigational ADCs using either Morphotek's REsidue-SPEcific Conjugation Technology (RESPECT) or an alternative approach to conjugation.
Morphotek, a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., is focused on developing novel classes of biological-based products to treat cancer, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. Its mission is to develop novel targeted therapies that attack underlying disease pathways, and in oncology indications, that can overcome the immunosuppressive effects by tumors on immune-mediated experimental therapies.
BlissBio is focusing on discovery, development and commercialization of biotherapeutics for unmet medical needs. The company has developed a pipeline engaging multiple technology platforms through collaborations with domestic and foreign biopharmaceutical companies.
Tokyo, Japan-based global research and development-based pharmaceutical company Eisai Co., Ltd. has over 10,000 employees working across its global network of R and D facilities, manufacturing sites, and marketing subsidiaries.The company strives to deliver innovative products in various therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including neurology and oncology.