Sanofi signs $1.9bn deal to buy Dren Bio autoimmune drug
Dren Bio's co-founder and chief executive Nenad Tomasevic.
Sanofi says it has reached an agreement with Dren Bio that would see it take control of autoimmune disease treatment DR-0201, a bispecific antibody-based myeloid cell engager with the potential to "reset the immune system."
Under the terms of the deal, Sanofi will pay $600 million upfront to buy an affiliate of the California-based biotech, called Dren-0201, which was set up to develop the therapy. Dren Bio could also make another $1.3 billion tied to future development and launch objectives for DR-0201.
The potentially first-in-class drug, which targets CD20, is able to achieve "deep B-cell depletion" by stimulating cells of the immune system to engulf and destroy B-cells in the presence of a specific antigen.
B-cells are involved with antigen presentation, cytokine production, and autoantibody production in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
According to Sanofi and Dren Bio, DR-0201 treatment could be used to sustain treatment-free remission in patients with hard-to-treat diseases such as lupus.
"Deep B-cell depletion is at the frontier of treating autoimmune diseases and using the myeloid cell engager DR-0201 has the potential to elevate the treatment effect for patients, in particular patients refractory to existing treatments," commented Sanofi's head of R&D Houman Ashrafian.
The deal builds on Sanofi's already formidable presence in immunological diseases currently spearheaded by Dupixent (dupilumab), its $14 billion blockbuster that targets diseases associated with type 2 inflammation like atopic dermatitis and asthma.
DR-0201 is currently being evaluated in two phase 1 studies, one in the blood cancer non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and another in a range of autoimmune diseases including SLE, cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), Sjögren's syndrome, dermatomyositis/polymositis, scleroderma, and diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc).
"It has been a privilege to advance our lead platform programme, DR-0201, into clinical development and evaluate its potential to achieve potent B-cell depletion," said Dren Bio's co-founder and chief executive, Nenad Tomasevic.
"As a leader in immunology, Sanofi is ideally positioned to unlock the power of deep B-cell depletion and immune reset for autoimmune patients with this novel myeloid cell engager."
After DR-0201 changes hands, which is expected to take place in the second quarter, Dren Bio will focus on its other candidates for depleting pathogenic cells and other disease-causing agents.
That includes DR-01, billed as a potential first-in-class antibody that is designed to reduce cytotoxic cells, such as autoreactive CD8 T-cells, which are known to play a role in various haematological and autoimmune diseases.
It is currently in early-stage human trials for large granular lymphocytic leukaemia (LGLL) and cytotoxic lymphoma (CTL), as well as alopecia areata and vitiligo.
This is the second major deal signed by Foster City-based Dren Bio in the last few months, coming after Novartis paid $150 million upfront, including a $25 million equity investment, to develop bispecific antibody candidates for cancer.
In that alliance, the biotech stands to receive up to $2.85 billion in additional cash payments upon achieving certain preclinical, clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones.
