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Taiwan-based Formosa Pharmaceuticals has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Almac Discovery, a Northern Ireland-based research driven drug discovery company, for exclusive rights to the commercialisation of ALM-401, a first-in-class, bispecific antibody drug conjugate (ADC) for the treatment of solid tumours characterised by the dual expression of EGFR and ROR1.
Almac Discovery focuses on protein homeostasis and next-generation antibody drug conjugates.
Their portfolio of preclinical and clinical stage drug candidates comprises both small and large molecule modalities, and benefits from collaboration and licensing partnerships with global R&D-focused biotech and pharmaceutical organizations. The licensing agreement includes upfront payment and development milestones, with additional considerations through approval and post-commercialisation.
ALM-401’s core is a novel bispecific antibody engineered to be smaller in size by utilizing a single-chain architecture. This critical attribute potentially enhances epitope engagement and tumor penetration, and is designed to improve ease of manufacturing. The ADC has demonstrated durable and sustained tumor regressions in multiple solid tumor models, such as NSCLC, whilst also inducing a pronounced bystander effect to further boost overall therapeutic effect.
