Who is Kymab, the company purchased by Sanofi, and what it does
Facts, investors and curiosities about Kymab, a biopharmaceutical company that develops monoclonal antibodies acquired by the French group Sanofi
Immunological shopping for Sanofi. The French pharmaceutical company acquired British biopharmaceutical company Kymab, which develops fully human monoclonal antibodies, for $ 1.45 billion.
All the details.
THE ACQUISITION
Let's start with the facts. Sanofi and Kymab "have entered into an agreement under which Sanofi will acquire Kymab for an upfront payment of approximately $ 1.1 billion and up to $ 350 million upon reaching certain milestones", writes the French company in a statement. plans to finance the operation in cash.
SANOFI STRENGTHENS ITSELF IN IMMUNOLOGY
With the purchase Sanofi strengthens its presence in immunology and will have full rights to KY1005, a fully human monoclonal antibody with a new mechanism of action.
“The acquisition of Kymab adds KY1005 to our dynamic pipeline, a potential first-class treatment for a range of immune and inflammatory diseases. The new mechanism of action may provide treatment for patients with suboptimal responses to available therapies, ”said Paul Hudson, Sanofi CEO.
THE TIMINGS
French Big pharma would like to close the acquisition by June, but “the closing of the transaction is subject to the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and other customary conditions. Sanofi expects to complete the acquisition in the first half of 2021 ”, explains Sanofi herself.
KYMAB
Based in Cambridge, Kymab was founded in 2010 by Professor Allan Bradley, FRS and Dr Glenn A Friedrich, based on developments in Professor Bradley's laboratory at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.
It is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing fully human monoclonal antibodies with a focus on immune-mediated diseases and immuno-oncology therapies. The company, for its studies and research, uses proprietary integrated platforms, IntelliSelect, which contain a variety of human antibodies (currently the most complete). Leading it is CEO Simon Sturge.
INVESTORS
Among the first to believe in the company, in 2010, is the Trust Investment Division, which invested a whopping $ 30 million to enable the development of our antibody platform and initiate the discovery of therapeutic resources. In 2014 when the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust invested $ 40 million in Kymab, while in 2015 Schroder UK Public Private Trust plc (formerly Woodford Patient Capital Trust plc), Woodford Equity Income Fund and Malin Corporation plc has invested 50 million dollars.
In 2016 ORI Fund and other shareholders invested $ 100 million in the company.
THE ANTIBODY KY1005
Kymab developed the Ky1005 antibody, which met both primary endpoints in a phase 2a investigational study, in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis whose disease is not adequately controlled with topical corticosteroids.
The antibody "demonstrated – explains Sanofi – a consistent treatment effect compared to placebo in various key endpoints, including the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) and further objective clinical measures".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/chi-e-e-cosa-fa-kymab-la-societa-acquistata-da-sanofi/ on Mon, 11 Jan 2021 12:35:52 +0000.