Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PR Newswire, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019 - Monday, 21 October 1996
The collaborative agreement is PDL's seventh with pharmaceutical partners and fourth with a Japanese company.
The agreement provides that PDL will be paid an initial signing fee and may earn milestone payments related to antibody humanization as well as royalties on product sales of the humanized antibody by the Japanese company or its sub-licensees. In addition, PDL has agreed to consider manufacturing the humanized antibody upon request by its partner. The antibody has potential in oncology and other therapeutic areas.
The agreement is similar to one announced earlier this year with Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., in also granting to PDL an option to co-promote the humanized antibody in North America. These collaborations are part of PDL's strategy to build its product pipeline by seeking to obtain North American co-promotion rights as part of its humanization agreements.
The Japanese company has requested that its name be withheld at this time.
"This collaboration, like the Mochida agreement, is a further example of our strategy of using our humanization technology and patent rights to develop sources of revenue and product marketing rights in North America," said Laurence Jay Korn, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of PDL. "We are pleased to work with this Tokyo-based company on the development of this promising antibody, which represents a new approach to the treatment of cancers and certain other diseases."
PDL has utilized its proprietary computer-based drug design technology to humanize more than 20 mouse monoclonal antibodies. A fundamental patent covering most humanized antibodies was issued to PDL by the European Patent Office in January. Similar patent applications are pending in the U.S. and Japan.
PDL's other collaborators in Japan are Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Kanebo, Ltd., and Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Collaborations are also in place with Hoffmann-La Roche and Boehringer Mannheim, which owns 7.6 percent and 13.9 percent of PDL on a fully diluted basis, respectively, and with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corp.
Protein Design Labs, founded in 1986, is developing humanized antibodies to prevent or treat a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, cancers, and viral infections. PDL has four potential products in human clinical trials.
* Zenapax(R), being developed by Hoffmann-La Roche, has been shown to be effective and well-tolerated in two Phase III studies for the prevention of kidney transplant rejection. Zenapax is being evaluated in an additional study in kidney transplantation, and a study in pediatric kidney transplantation and proof-of-concept studies in psoriasis and uveitis, two autoimmune conditions, are expected to begin in 1996.
* The SMART M195 Antibody is in a Phase II/III trial for the treatment of myeloid leukemia.
* The PROTOVIR(TM) human anti-CMV antibody is being studied in Phase II trials for the prevention of CMV infections in bone marrow transplantation and for the treatment of CMV retinitis in AIDS patients.
* The Human Anti-Hepatitis B Antibody has completed Phase I/II studies in chronic hepatitis B and in liver transplantation.
PDL's human and computer-designed SMART (humanized) monoclonal antibodies have a longer half-life and are less immunogenic than traditional mouse antibodies, and PDL believes they will therefore be more useful as human therapeutics.
NOTE: The PDL logo, Protein Design Labs and PROTOVIR are registered U.S. trademarks and SMART is a trademark of Protein Design Labs, Inc. Zenapax is a registered trademark of Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
CONTACT: Peter Dworkin, Director, Corporate Communications, of Protein Design Labs, Inc., 415-903-3721
Copyright (c) 1996/PR NewsWire. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, PR Newswire, 810 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019.
961021
PR961027
Copyright © 1996 - PRNewswire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through PRNewswire, Permissions, 810 Seventh Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10019 http://www.prnewswire.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1996. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1996. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .