Genmab in HIV antibody deal

Genmab will receive an upfront payment of US$5m (€4.5m) from Gilead Sciences as well as milestones of up to US$277m (€248m) for the first product. In addition, Genmab will be entitled to single-digit royalties on Gilead’s sales of any commercialised products. If Gilead develops further products, it will pay out additional milestone payments and royalties. The commercial license agreement follows a research collaboration between Genmab and Gilead Sciences for the DuoBody technology signed in 2014.

Genmab’s DuoBody platform allows the discovery and development of bispecific antibodies, which bind to two different epitopes either on the same or on different targets. It was already part of several licensing agreements with partners including Janssen, Novo Nordisk, and Novartis.

“We are pleased to add this agreement with Gilead to our growing list of commercial collaborations for our innovative DuoBody platform,” said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. “We are particularly excited that the potential for DuoBody bispecific antibodies for treating HIV will be explored.”

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