DR-01

Novartis and Dren Bio have entered into a strategic collaboration aimed at developing therapeutic bispecific antibodies for cancer, with the deal worth up to $3bn. The partnership combines Novartis’ research, development and commercial capabilities with Dren’s Targeted Myeloid Engager and Phagocytosis platform. Both companies will work together to advance selected targeted myeloid engager programmes in oncology up to clinical candidate selection, after which Novartis will assume full responsibility for all further development, manufacturing, regulatory and commercialisation activities. In exchange, Dren will receive $150m from Novartis, including a $25m equity investment, and will also be eligible for up to $2.85bn in milestone payments as well as tiered royalties on future net sales of any products resulting from the alliance. Shiva Malek, global head of oncology for biomedical research at Novartis, described the agreement as a “promising opportunity to discover novel bispecific antibody therapies for cancer”. According to Dren, bispecific antibodies generated from its proprietary platform are specifically designed to allow for controlled myeloid cell activation only in the presence of the target antigen, potentially resulting in “greater therapeutic indexes” and offering superior safety profiles compared to other treatment modalities. The biopharma’s lead asset, DR-01, targets differentiated cytotoxic cells such as autoreactive CD8 T cells known to play a role in various cancers and autoimmune diseases. Dren’s chief executive officer, Nenad Tomasevic, said: “We are thrilled to establish this new collaboration with Novartis… Combining the proven capabilities of Novartis in oncology drug development with Dren Bio’s novel platform could enable the advancement of important new therapies for patients.” The deal comes less than three months after Novartis and PeptiDream expanded their peptide discovery collaboration with a new agreement worth over $2.8bn. The multi-programme agreement will see PeptiDream use its proprietary Peptide Discovery Platform System technology to identify and optimise macrocyclic peptides against targets chosen by Novartis. Novartis also recently entered into an exclusive licence agreement worth over $1bn with Arvinas for the development and commercialisation of the biotech’s clinical-stage prostate cancer therapy, a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) degrader that has demonstrated activity in models of wild-type AR tumours and tumours with AR mutations or amplification.

The bispecific antibodies are intended for cancer treatment. Credit: Aunt Spray / Shutterstock. Dren Bio has partnered strategically with Novartis subsidiary Novartis Pharma to discover and develop therapeutic bispecific antibodies to treat cancer. The partnership will leverage Dren Bio’s targeted myeloid engager and phagocytosis platform to create the antibodies. Dren Bio is entitled to an upfront payment of $150m from Novartis, including an equity investment of $25m. The company could earn up to $2.85bn in milestone payments on specific preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial goals in addition to royalty payments on sales of any products resulting from the deal. Dren Bio and Novartis will jointly progress targeted myeloid engager programmes through the selection of clinical candidates. See Also: MHRA approves Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty JN.1 vaccine MHRA approves Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide to cut cardiovascular risk Novartis will subsequently take over development, manufacturing and commercialisation responsibilities. Novartis biomedical research oncology global head Shiva Malek stated: “Our agreement with Dren Bio is a promising opportunity to discover novel bispecific antibody therapies for cancer, building on our longstanding expertise in immuno-oncology science at Novartis. “We’re excited to collaborate to bring forward new therapeutic options for patients living with cancer, complementing our strategic efforts across a wide range of modalities, including targeted therapies, biologics, radioligand therapies and CAR-Ts [chimeric antigen receptor-T cells].” Dren Bio focuses on developing antibody therapeutics for cancer and serious diseases. Its lead product, DR-01, is in a Phase II study for cytotoxic lymphomas and is being expanded to autoimmune indications. The company’s platform produces bispecific antibodies that activate myeloid cells only when the target antigen is present. This specificity could lead to better safety profiles compared to other therapies. DR-0201, its lead platform programme, is in a Phase I study for diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Dren Bio CEO Nenad Tomasevic said: “We are thrilled to establish this new collaboration with Novartis, a global leader in oncology. “Combining the proven capabilities of Novartis in oncology drug development with Dren Bio’s novel platform could enable the advancement of important new therapies for patients.”