f-star and Boehringer Ingelheim enter joint discovery agreement for new antibody-derived therapeutic products

f-star Biotechnologische Forschungs-und Entwicklungsges.m.b.H today announced the signing of a collaboration and license agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim for joint discovery of new antibody-derived therapeutic products based on f-star's Modular Antibody Technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim will nominate up to seven targets, which may span multiple therapeutic areas, against which the parties will collaborate to jointly discover Fcabs for further global development and commercialisation by Boehringer Ingelheim either as therapeutic products in their own right or as modules for the generation of bispecific mAb² products.

Under the terms of the agreement, f-star will receive an initial technology access fee, research-based funding, and is eligible to receive additional license fees, development, regulatory and commercial milestones and undisclosed tiered royalties on product sales. Boehringer Ingelheim can select several therapeutic products from each of seven discovery programs whereas the total payment to f-star for each of these programs, excluding royalty payments, could reach up to Euro 180 million in case of full commercial success of multiple therapeutic products. Further details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Dr Kevin FitzGerald, CEO of f-star, commented "We are very pleased to have completed this agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim and are very excited by the prospect of jointly delivering novel therapeutic proteins to patients with poorly treated illnesses. F-star has developed novel technology for the discovery of antibody-based products that are clearly differentiated from conventional antibodies and other protein-based drugs. This partnership will enable f-star to expand the exploitation of this technology by combining with the impressive global research and development capabilities and resources of Boehringer Ingelheim".