AstraZeneca is making ADC moves in Asia once again, announcing this week that it has entered a license agreement with Shanghai-based LaNova Medicines, in a deal that could be valued up to $600 million.
Under the terms of the collaboration, LaNova will receive upfront and near-term payments of up to $55 million and additional development and commercial milestone payments of up to $545 million.
In exchange, AstraZeneca will receive global license to research, develop, and commercialize LM-305. LM-305, LaNova’s GPRC5D-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, is the second to emerge from the company’s proprietary ADC platform. The ADC is made up of an anti-GPRC5D monoclonal antibody, a protease-degradable linker, and a cytotoxic payload monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). The drug has obtained IND approvals in both the U.S. and China.
LaNova Medicines is a young biotech, first established in 2019. The company has over 10 drug candidates, with its three lead candidates currently in phase 1/2 studies.
This is the second ADC deal inked by AstraZeneca this year. Back in February, the drugmaker signed a deal worth up to $1.1 billion with KYM Biosciences, a joint venture established by Chinese biotechs Keymed Biosciences and Lepu Biopharma. The licensing agreement is for KYM's potential first-in-class ADC targeting Claudin 18.2.
