Riding the wave of success from Johnson & Johnson’s acquisition of Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, Kaken Pharmaceutical and Numab Therapeutics are doubling down on their immunology collaboration. The partners have announced a new licensing agreement focused on a preclinical, “best-in-class” multispecific antibody for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
This latest deal sees Kaken Pharmaceutical making a $14.6 million upfront payment to Numab Therapeutics for an option to in-license ND081, a novel multispecific antibody targeting IBD, in select Asian territories. Kaken will also fund preclinical and clinical development of ND081 through Phase 2a proof-of-concept.
While details on ND081 remain undisclosed, Numab touts its potential as a best-in-class therapy. This promising candidate is not yet listed on Numab’s pipeline, suggesting a stealth approach to development prior to this strategic partnership. The collaboration leverages Numab’s cutting-edge ฮป-Cap and MATCH technology platforms, designed to generate highly specific and potent multispecific antibodies.
Kaken and Numab have a history of successful collaboration, most notably with NM26, a bispecific antibody for atopic dermatitis. This asset was spun out into Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, which subsequently garnered significant attention with its $1.25 billion acquisition by J&J earlier this year. This prior success underscores the synergistic potential of the partnership and reinforces their expertise in developing innovative immunology therapies.
IBD represents a major market opportunity with significant unmet medical need. Current treatment options often fall short in achieving sustained remission, leaving patients vulnerable to debilitating flares and long-term complications. ND081, with its purported best-in-class potential, holds the promise of transforming the IBD treatment landscape and delivering much-needed relief to patients.
Numab CEO David Urech, Ph.D., expressed enthusiasm for the renewed partnership, highlighting the potential of Numab’s proprietary platforms to generate innovative multispecific antibody therapies. Kaken’s President and Representative Director, Hiroyuki Horiuchi, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the companies’ shared commitment to developing groundbreaking new treatments for IBD. This latest collaboration positions Kaken and Numab at the forefront of IBD drug development and reinforces their dedication to addressing unmet medical needs in the immunology space.
