LegoChem licenses out ADC technology... a KRW 2.2 tril deal

LegoChem Biosciences successfully exports its ADC 'LCB84' technology to Janssen on June 26...'the largest upfront payment and contract size this year

Only Trodelvy is available for TROP2 ADC commercialization …Daiichi Sankyo is developing datopotamab

LegoChem Biosciences' TROP2 targeted antibody-drug conjugate technology has been licensed out to Janssen.

 

By signing a total of 13 technology transfer and option agreements in the field of ADC alone this year.

 

According to industry sources, LegoChem Biosciences signed a technology transfer agreement with Janssen on the 26th for its TROP2 targeted new ADC drug candidate.

 

#1 The contract is valued at USD 1.7 billion (approx KRW 224).

 

It includes an upfront payment of $100 million (approx 260 billion) an exclusive development rights payment of $200 million and tiered milestones based on development, licensing, and commercialization.

 

Royalties based on net sales will be earned separately.

 

Both the size of the contract and the upfront payment are the largest technology exports by the Korean pharma and biotech industry this year.

 

In terms of contract size, it exceeds the KRW 1.7 trillion technology exported by Dhong Kun Dang to public, and in terms of upfront payment, it is tied with the KRW 130 billion paid by Orm Therapeutics to BMS.

 

LCB84 is an ADC-targeted drug candidate that can target various solid tumors including triple-negative breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

 

LCB84 incorporates four microtubule-inhibiting MMAEs, centered on the company’s proprietary ConjuALL linker.

 

An ADC consists of a linker, a payload (drug), and an antibody.

 

The ConjuALL linker is believed to be able to overcome the release of cytotoxic drugs in the blood and attack normal cells.

 

In preclinical studies, LCB84 has shown efficacy in patients whose solid tumors are refractory to topoisomerase payload-based TROP2 ADC drugs.

 

Topoisomerase is a technology that has been used in leading ADCs such as Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan).

 

LegoChem Bio received IND clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June and is currently conducting Phase I/II studies in the United States.

 

In the trial, the company plans to confirm the preliminary efficacy of LCB84 as monotherapy and LCB84 plus an immuno-oncology drug combination.

 

Upon signing the agreement, Janssen will retain worldwide development and commercialization rights to LCB84 and will collaborate with LegoChem Bio on the trial.

 

After exercising the exclusive development rights, Janssen will be solely responsible for clinical development and commercialization.

 

With this technology export, LegoChem Bio has exported 13 technology related to its ADC platform and candidates to date.

 

Starting with the transfer of its HER2-targeting ADC LCB14 technology to Fosun Pharmaceutical in China in 2015, LegoChem Bio has successfully exported its technology to various global pharmaceutical companies including Takeda, Harbour Biomed, and Iksuda Therapeutics.

 

In December last year, the company exported platform technology for 5 of its ADC pipelines to the US pharmaceutical company Amgen.

 

TROP2 protein overexpressed in solid cancers...only Trodelvy succeeds in commercialization TROP2 is an intracellular calcium signal transducer involved in cell proliferation and survival.

 

The protein is present in normal cells but tends to be overexpressed in cancer cells and has been linked to drug resistance.

 

TROP2 has been identified mainly in breast, non-small cell lung cancer, and colorectal cancers; and developers are conducting clinical trials targeting these major solid tumors.

 

To date, only Gilead's Trodelvy (sasituzumab govitecan) has been successfully commercialized using the same mechanism.

 

Trodelvy was approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in May for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

 

Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca, developers of Enhertu, are also developing a TROP-2-targeting ADC with datopotamab deruxtecan.

 

Both companies are currently conducting concurrent trials targeting hormone-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.

 

Clinical results presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Annual Congress (ESMO 2023) in October confirmed the efficacy of datopotamab over existing treatment options.