Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan), led by President and CEO Gyo Sagara, has announced a significant milestone today. The company has formalized an option and collaboration agreement with Numab Therapeutics AG (Horgen, Switzerland), under the leadership of CEO David Urech, aimed at advancing the development and commercialization of NM49, a groundbreaking multi-specific macrophage engager in the field of oncology. NM49, originating from Numab’s innovative multi-specific antibody platform, has shown promise in its development.
As per the terms of the agreement, Ono gains exclusive rights to develop and commercialize NM49 globally, while Numab retains the option to join forces with Ono for development and commercialization specifically in the United States. Ono will provide an upfront payment to Numab upon the agreement’s execution, with further milestone payments linked to development and commercialization achievements, alongside tiered royalties based on net sales.
During the option period, Numab will lead the research and development efforts for NM49, with Ono covering the associated costs.
Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer and Executive Director of Discovery & Research at Ono, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Numab through the development and commercialization of NM49. Leveraging Numab’s unique platform, we aim to swiftly deliver NM49 as a new therapeutic option to patients, drawing upon Ono’s extensive expertise in immuno-oncology.”
David Urech, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Numab Therapeutics, highlighted the significance of this collaboration: “This partnership marks our third collaboration with Ono and the first where Numab holds the option for joint development and commercialization in the U.S. We are excited to continue our work with Ono in developing impactful multi-specific therapeutics for cancer patients, further expanding Numab’s product pipeline and enhancing the efficiency of our R&D endeavors.”
This collaboration follows a previous development and license agreement between Ono and Numab in March 2022, focused on a distinct multi-specific antibody drug candidate in the field of immuno-oncology, separate from the current agreement’s scope.
