Wybiologics Signs Technology Export Deal for Immuno-Oncology Drug with French Pharmaceutical Company Worth 116.4 Billion KRW

Park Young-woo, CEO of Y-Biologics (Photo by Y-Biologics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Y-Biologics announced on the 6th that it has signed a technology licensing agreement with the French pharmaceutical group Pierre Fabre for a new antibody candidate for the treatment of solid tumors.

Under the contract, Y-Biologics will receive approximately 116.4 billion KRW in technology fees, including a non-refundable upfront payment, milestone payments for preclinical and clinical development stages, and milestones related to commercialization and sales. Additionally, they will receive royalties based on sales. Pierre Fabre will have the exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize the candidate substance.

The technology transfer target is the solid tumor treatment antibody candidate "YBL-003," which is a type of immune checkpoint inhibitor. YBL-003 works by regulating macrophage function and T cell activation to reactivate the immune system in the tumor microenvironment and induce cancer cell apoptosis. It is expected to have high potential as an immuno-oncology treatment for solid tumors, with indications expandable to gastric cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, and others.

The two companies began joint research last year. The joint research contract period is three years, with an option to extend for two additional years. They will research three targets annually, jointly researching and licensing up to 15 targets during the contract period. This contract is for the first of the 15 targets.

Y-Biologics discovered a new human antibody group through its fully human antibody library "Ymax-ABL." It was verified that these antibodies have the functional characteristics of immune checkpoint inhibitors that reactivate major immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment.

Park Young-woo, CEO of Y-Biologics, said, "We are very pleased to sign our first license agreement with Pierre Fabre," adding, "Based on mutual trust, joint research on other innovative targets is currently underway, and we expect the collaboration between the two companies to further advance the development of innovative immuno-oncology therapies targeting the tumor microenvironment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.