Sanofi Joins With EVOQ in $500M Autoimmune Alliance

Gentilly, France, March 21, 2021: Exterior view of the Sanofi headquarters building. Sanofi is a French multinational company specializing in the health sector

iStock, HJBC

The partners have yet to disclose what their priority indications are, though EVOQ’s NanoDisc technology aims to enable the development of potentially curative treatments for autoimmune conditions such as celiac disease and type 1 diabetes.

Sanofi is making another autoimmune pact, linking up with Chicago’s EVOQ Therapeutics for its proprietary technology aimed at restoring the body’s natural immune tolerance.

The companies did not provide a detailed breakdown of the deal’s financial terms, only announcing in a Thursday release that the total consideration could reach $500 million. This sum will cover an upfront payment as well as preclinical, development and sales milestones. On top of this, EVOQ will also be eligible for tiered royalties on product sales.

The centerpiece of this partnership is EVOQ’s proprietary NanoDisc platform, which enables the selective targeting of dendritic cells, a type of immune cell that according to the biotech’s website is the “key player” in immune tolerance. In patients with autoimmune diseases, dendritic cells inappropriately activate the cell-mediated immune response, which results in certain tissues and organs being mistakenly identified as foreign.

According to the companies’ press announcement, the NanoDisc approach can potentially result in “curative” treatments for autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease and type 1 diabetes, though the partners did not identify any particular indication that they plan to focus on.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will work together on research activities, while Sanofi will take charge of development and commercialization activities worldwide.

Sanofi has been investing heavily in autoimmune diseases this year. In March, the pharma put $1.9 billion on the line—$600 million in an upfront payment plus up to $1.3 billion in development and launch milestones—to acquire Dren Bio’s bispecific antibody DR-0201.

A few weeks later, the pharma dropped $125 million and pledged potentially $1.72 billion in development and commercial milestones to license two bispecific antibodies from Earendil Labs, under development for autoimmune and inflammatory bowel diseases.

In June, Sanofi decided to move forward with one preclinical molecular glue asset discovered under its ongoing partnership with Kymera. The companies first joined together in July 2020, with the pharma putting down $150 million and promising up to $2 billion in milestones in a protein degrader program focusing on immune-inflammatory conditions.

Outside the immunology space, Sanofi in July acquired U.K.-based startup Vicebio for $1.6 billion, giving it the biotech’s combination vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus.

Tristan is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, with more than eight years of experience writing about medicine, biotech and science. He can be reached at tristan.manalac@biospace.com, tristan@tristanmanalac.com or on LinkedIn.
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