ADC Therapeutics raise $76m in Series E expansion

According to Chris Martin, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of ADC Therapeutics the proceeds will be used to fund preparations for a Biologic License Application (BLA) for ADCT-402 (loncastuximab tesirine) in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) H2/2020. Furthermore, the company prepares a pivotal Phase II trial of ADCT-301 (camidanlumab tesirine) in Hodgkin lymphoma set to be kicked of this year. 

ADC Therapeutics SA targets pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD)-based warheads against cancer surface antigens. Both candidate ADCs are currently in seven clinical studies in relevant sub-types of lymphoma and leukemia along with five further ADCs in early development stage.

ADCT-301 combines HuMax^®-TAC™, a monoclonal antibody targeting CD25 (the alpha chain of the IL-2 receptor) created by Genmab A/S (Copenhagen, Denmark) with a highly potent pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD)-based warhead. The Epalinges-based company says that ADCT-301 showed promising anti-tumour activity preclinically, outperforming Seattle Genetics’ approved ADC drug brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris). ADCT- ADCT-402 is a similar construct targetting CD19, a surface protein expressed throughout B-cell development on nearly all B-cell malignancies in many non-Hodgkin lymphomas.