MacroGenics has a second shot at ADAM9 in its pipeline.
MacroGenicscut short its call on ADAM9DAM family. The ADAM9-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) IMGC936 fell short of safety and efficacy expectations in solid tumors, prompting AbbVie and its equal partner MacroGenics to walk away from the candidate.
AbbVieenics worked with ImmunoGen, now part of AbbVie ADAM9-targeted0.1 billion deal, to advance thIMGC936o a phase 1 readout. ADAM9 is overexpressed in non-solid tumorsung, pancreaAbbVieastric, breast, ovarianMacroGenicsctal cancers, suggesting it could enable the safe delivery of cytotoxic payloads to tumor cells.
MacroGenicsase 1 data faImmunoGenake the case fAbbViether development of IMGC936. MacroGenics broke tADCnews after the market cADAM9 Thursday, telling investors that neither it nor AbbVie plan to advance the molecule because it “did not achieve pre-established clinical safety and efficacy benchmarks.”tumor
The statement lacks further information, but MacroGenics CEO Scott KoenigIMGC936 PMacroGenicsssed challenges facing the program on an earnings call in November, when he told investoAbbViet “identifying the appropriate dose” has always been one of the issues for IMGC936. At that time, ImmunoGen was still finishing up the lung cancer cohort, pushing back the readout from 2023 to 2024.
While the readout failed to support further dMacroGenicsof IMGC936, MacroGenics continues to believe in the potential of ADAM9. The biotech has a second shot at the target, MGC028, that uses Synaffix’s linker-payload in preclinical testing.IMGC936ImmunoGenlung cancer
MacroGenics plans to present preclinical data on MGC028 in IMGC936KoMacroGenics the presentation on an earnings call ThurADAM9 explaining that MGC028 had “specific dose-depeMGC028in vivo antiSynaffixtivity” in ADAM9-positive models, including in gastric, lung, pancreatic, colorectal, and head and neck cancers.
MacroGenics the retreat from IMGC936 eliminates aMGC028shot chance to realize additional value from the ImmunoGen takeover while leaving the coMGC028e for the deal intact. The takeover gave AbbVie control of thADAM9-positiveα-directed ADC Elahere, which could generate blockbuster sales if it moves into earlier lines of therapy, and expertise in a modality that could support the Big Pharma’s solid tumor strategy.