(Yicai) July 18 -- Chinese company Foreseen Biotechnology granted the exclusive global rights to its antibody-drug conjugate to French biopharmaceutical giant Ipsen in a deal that could be worth up to USD1 billion.

Foreseen and Ipsen signed an exclusive licensing agreement for FS001 that would grant the latter the rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize FS001 globally, the pair announced on July 11.

FS001 is a potential first-in-class ADC with demonstrated pre-clinical efficacy. It uses an innovative, stable, and cleavable linker coupled to a potent topoisomerase I inhibitor to target a novel tumor-associated antigen that is overexpressed in many solid tumors and plays a critical role in tumor proliferation and metastasis. This antigen was identified using Foreseen’s high throughput, integrated translational proteomics, and artificial intelligence-powered screening platforms.

Foreseen is eligible to receive up to USD1 billion of upfront, development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on global sales. Ipsen will be responsible for Phase I preparation activities, including submission of the Investigational New Drug application and all subsequent clinical development, manufacturing, and global commercialization activities.

“We are excited to add FS001, the second ADC Ipsen has in-licensed this year, to our growing pipeline,” said Mary Jane Hinrichs, senior vice president and head of Early Development at Ipsen. “Using cutting-edge proteomics technology and AI-powered screening platforms, Foreseen has uncovered a novel and clinically relevant target that could unlock the potential of ADCs for even more people living with hard-to-treat forms of cancer.

“As we prepare for the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial, we will evaluate FS001 in selected solid tumor types, which we hope will deliver critical new treatments for people living with cancer around the world,” Hinrichs noted.

“Our strategic partnership with Ipsen provides a strong endorsement to our high throughput integrated translational proteomics platform approach to discover and develop innovative therapeutic products with first-in-class potential,” said Catherine Wong, co-founder and chairman of Foreseen.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with Ipsen to advance FS001 globally, harnessing Ipsen’s robust track record in accelerating the clinical development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics,” Wong pointed out. “We believe FS001 has the potential to treat multiple cancers as a single agent or in combination with standard of care.”

Han Pei, co-founder and former chief executive officer of Foreseen Biotech, played a vital role in signing the deal with Ipsen.

Han and her team, who discovered the antigen that FS001 targets, managed the entire business development process, from the initial sourcing, pitch presentations, and technical due diligence to comprehensive reports and data analysis on FS001’s research, pharmacology, and toxicology. With the progress of negotiations, an overseas legal team also joined to help finalize the agreement.

Han completed a doctorate degree in molecular biology from Peking University and a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. She has over a decade of expertise in drug discovery and translation, having worked as project leader at renowned multinational pharmaceutical companies, such as Amgen, Gilead Sciences, and Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

This exclusive global license agreement is a significant step in the collaboration between Ipsen and Foreseen in the pharmaceutical field, bringing hope to cancer patients worldwide and driving innovation and development in the field of oncology treatment.