Roche has headed back to China to pen a licensing deal worth more than $1 billion biobucks for the rights to a clinical-stage bispecific antibody for respiratory diseases.
The asset in question, dubbed QX031N, has been developed by Qyuns Therapeutics to target both human thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and human interleukin-33 (IL-33).
Both the TSLP and IL-33 proteins are released in the body in response to allergens, viruses, pollution and mechanical stimuli, Qyuns explained in a short release. The Chinese biopharma hopes this means QX031N can become a “best-in-disease” therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
Roche’s hopes of getting its COPD therapy astegolimab to regulators this year took a hit after the anti-ST2 monoclonal antibody (mAB) failed to reduce flare-ups in a phase 3 study.
In return for the global rights to QX031N, Roche is handing over $75 million upfront to Qyuns, with potentially $995 million to follow in development, regulatory and commercialization milestones, on top of tiered royalties should the antibody make it to market.
Qyuns' portfolio is based on its rabbit mAB development platform.
“Many studies have shown that the unique features of B-cell ontogeny and antibody repertoire make rabbits a valuable source for antibodies that have high affinity and specificity, which could potentially translate into strong bioactivity, and are easier to humanize, leading to lower risk of immunogenicity,” the Shanghai-based company explains on its website.
Qyuns’ pipeline includes Sailexin, a biosimilar of Johnson & Johnson’s inflammatory med Stelara that is approved in China. The biopharma also has a range of therapies in the clinic, including an anti-IL-4Rα mAB being evaluated for various inflammatory conditions as well as an IL-17A inhibitor in trials for ankylosing spondylitis.
Qyuns has previously caught the attention of fellow Chinese company Hansoh Pharma, which last year bought the Chinese rights to Qyuns’ phase 2-stage IL-23p19 inhibitor for psoriasis and Crohn’s disease. Roche signed its own deal with Hansoh earlier this month to get its hands on a CDH17-targeted antibody-drug conjugate.