MacroGenics inks second DART deal with Takeda

ROCKVILLE, Md. & OSAKA, Japan─MacroGenics Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited have issued a joint announcement detailing a collaboration agreement for the development and commercialization of up to four product candidates. These four programs are in addition to MGD010, which was the focus of a prior agreement announced in May of this year. Each of the four product candidates will be directed against pairs of molecular targets jointly selected by the two companies, and will incorporate MacroGenics' Dual-Affinity Re-Targeting (DART) proprietary platform.

MacroGenics' DART platform allows for the targeting of multiple antigens or cells through the use of a single molecule with an antibody-like structure. So far, the company has created more than 100 DART molecules for the potential treatment of cancer, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.

“We are delighted to enter our sixth DART collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company that has proven global development and commercialization capabilities,” Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of MacroGenics, said in a press release. “Building upon MGD010, I am very excited about the opportunity to expand our collaboration in the autoimmune area with an existing partner that has demonstrated clear support in enabling us to further broaden and accelerate our pipeline of innovative DART-based product candidates."

Per the terms of the agreement, Takeda has received an option to obtain an exclusive worldwide license for each of the four product candidates and will be responsible for funding all research and development activities related to those programs, which includes reimbursement of MacroGenics' expenses. If the candidates are successfully developed and commercialized by Takeda, MacroGenics could receive up to an additional $400 million in program initiation, preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercialization milestone payments for each of the four candidates. If commercialization is successfully reached, MacroGenics stands to receive double-digit royalties on any global net sales, with the option to co-promote each product candidate with Takeda in the United States. MacroGenics may also choose to fund a portion of the Phase 3 clinical development for each product candidate in return for a North American profit share.

“We are very pleased to increase our investment in finding biotherapeutic treatments for critical diseases by expanding our collaboration with MacroGenics. The breadth of our alliance with MacroGenics underscores our confidence in their research and development capabilities, as well as the robustness and versatility of their bi-specific DART platform,” Tetsuyuki Maruyama, Ph.D., general manager of the Pharmaceutical Research Division at Takeda, commented in a statement. “We look forward to progressing the development of multiple product candidates under our strategic collaboration with MacroGenics.”

SOURCE: Takeda press release