US drugmaker AbbVie has signed two separate collaboration agreements, one with Denmark’s Genmab and the other with China’s Jacobio Pharmaceuticals, for developing and commercializing cancer therapies.

The first collaboration will develop three of Genmab’s early-stage investigational bispecific antibody product candidates, specifically epcoritamab (DuoBody-CD3xCD20), DuoHexaBody-CD37 and DuoBody-CD3x5T4.

The companies will also combine their proprietary antibodies with Genmab’s DuoBody technology and AbbVie’s payload and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology to select up to four additional differentiated next-generation antibody-based product candidates, potentially across both solid tumors and hematological malignancies.

“This transformative collaboration will allow us to accelerate, broaden and maximize the development of some of our promising early-stage bispecific antibodies, including epcoritamab, with the ultimate goal of bringing these potential therapies much faster to cancer patients,” said Jan van de Winkel, Genmab’s CEO.

AbbVie’s vice chairman and president Michael Severino added: “Epcoritamab is a strong fit for our robust hematological oncology franchise. By combining the strengths of our two organizations, we can advance the treatment landscape for patients battling cancer.”

Under the terms of the transaction, AbbVie will pay Genmab $750 million upfront with Genmab also potentially able to receive up to $3.15 billion in additional development, regulatory and sales milestone payments. The Copenhagen-based firm is also eligible for royalties ranging between 22-26% of net sales of epcoritamab outside the US and Japan.

The deal with Beijing-based Jacobio will see the two firms develop and commercialize SHP2 inhibitors. SHP2 is an important protein mediator of cellular signaling through RAS/MAP kinase pathway. Many tumors have genetic mutations, driving abnormal cancer cell growth which relies on SHP2 activity. SHP2 also plays a key role to control cytokine production and immune cell response.

Consequently, inhibition of SHP2 is believed to have dual effects by potentially reducing cancer cell growth and modulating immune responses to generate anti-tumor activities. Jacobio's early clinical stage SHP2 assets, JAB-3068 and JAB-3312, are oral small molecules designed to specifically inhibit SHP2 activity.

“Identifying promising new targeted approaches for solid tumor patients is a high priority for us,” said Mohit Trikha, AbbVie’s vice president and head, early development oncology and Bay Area site head. “Jacobio's SHP2 program has the potential to treat cancer patients across many tumor types.  By targeting a key node in both cancer and immune cell signaling pathways, SHP2 inhibition, both as a monotherapy and potentially in combination with other agents, may rapidly advance new treatment options for cancer patients.”   

AbbVie will gain an exclusive license to Jacobio’s SHP2 portfolio. The Chinese firm will continue to conduct early global clinical trials of JAB-3068 and JAB-3312 with AbbVie covering R&D expenses. Upon completion, AbbVie will assume global development and commercialization responsibilities.

Jacobio has an option to exclusively develop and commercialize the SHP2 program in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.