|
| |
Ablynx extends agreement with Wyeth
GHENT, Belgium, 20 December 2007 - Ablynx [Euronext
Brussels: ABLX], a pioneer in the discovery and development of Nanobodies®,
a novel class of antibody-derived therapeutic proteins, announced today that
its TNF-alpha partnership with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has been extended for
another year.
Wyeth and Ablynx are collaborating to discover and develop novel Nanobody®-based
therapeutics against TNF-alpha. Wyeth has exclusive rights to develop and
commercialise the anti-TNF-alpha Nanobodies® developed under the
collaboration.
As part of the collaboration Ablynx receives research funding and would be
entitled to future milestone payments and royalties upon commercialisation.
Dr. Edwin Moses, CEO and Chairman of Ablynx, commented: "We are very pleased
with the progress of our partnership with Wyeth, which has world class
capabilities in the development and commercialisation of biologics. We look
forward to continuing our collaboration for another year. This is an
important partnership for Ablynx and we are delighted to continue our joint
efforts to advance the TNF-alpha Nanobody®-based programme to the next
stage.”
Dr. Frank Walsh, Executive Vice President, Head of Discovery Research of
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals said: “We continue to be excited about the potential
of Ablynx’s Nanobody® technology as a platform for next-generation
therapeutics targeted to TNF-alpha. We look forward to our ongoing
collaboration with Ablynx with the goal of bringing new therapies to
patients.”
- ENDS -
About Ablynx – http://www.ablynx.com
Founded in 2001 in Ghent, Belgium, Ablynx is a biopharmaceutical company
focused on the discovery and development of Nanobodies®, a novel class of
therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments, for a range
of serious and life-threatening human diseases. The Company currently has
over 140 employees. Ablynx completed a successful IPO on Euronext Brussels [ABLX]
on 7 November 2007.
Ablynx is developing a portfolio of Nanobody®-based therapeutic programmes
in a number of major disease areas, including inflammation, thrombosis,
oncology and Alzheimer’s disease. Nanobodies® have been generated against
more than 100 different disease targets. Efficacy data has been obtained in
16 in vivo models for Nanobodies® against a range of different targets.
Ablynx has an extensive patent position in the field of Nanobodies® for
healthcare applications. It has exclusive and worldwide rights to more than
fifty families of granted patents and pending patent applications, including
the Hamers patents covering the basic structure, composition, preparation
and uses of Nanobodies®.
Ablynx has ongoing research collaborations and significant partnerships with
several major pharmaceutical companies, including Boehringer Ingelheim,
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, and P&G Pharma. Ablynx is building a
diverse and broad portfolio of therapeutic Nanobodies® through these
collaborations as well as through its own internal discovery programmes.
Ablynx announced final Phase I data from its first programme, an anti-thrombotic
(ALX-0081) in December 2007 and another programme, which is partnered, is in
advanced preclinical development.
Nanobody® is a registered trademark of Ablynx NV.
For more information, please contact:
College Hill Life Sciences – for UK/International media enquiries:
Sue Charles, Justine Lamond, Holly Griffiths
t: +44 (0)20 7457 2020
f: +44 (0)20 7866 7900
e: ablynx@collegehill.com
Ablynx:
Dr. Edwin Moses
Chairman and CEO
t: +32 (0)9 262 00 07
m: +44 (0)7771 954 193 / +32 (0)473 39 50 68
e: edwin.moses@ablynx.com
Eva-Lotta Allan
Chief Business Officer
t: +32 (0)9 262 00 75
m: +32 (0)475 78 36 21 / +44 (0)7990 570 900
e: eva-lotta.allan@ablynx.com
| |
|
