Endeavor obtains exclusive worldwide rights to Hummingbird Bioscience’s anti-HER3 ADC to be developed for patients with HER3-expressing tumors
Hummingbird Bioscience to receive upfront and milestone payments up to $430 million, plus royalties, from Endeavor BioMedicines
Investigational New Drug (IND) application planned in first half of 2024
SAN DIEGO, HOUSTON and SINGAPORE, Oct. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Hummingbird Bioscience ("Hummingbird Bio"), a data-driven precision biotherapeutics company discovering and developing transformative biologic medicines for hard-to-treat diseases, and Endeavor BioMedicines ("Endeavor"), a clinical-stage company targeting the drivers of fibrosis and oncology, today announced that Endeavor has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to Hummingbird Bio’s antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), HMBD-501.
The license agreement provides Endeavor with exclusive rights to HMBD-501, a next-generation HER3-targeted ADC with an exatecan payload that has been optimized for safety and efficacy. Under the terms of the license, Hummingbird Bio will be eligible to receive upfront and milestone payments up to $430 million, plus royalties on net sales.
"This exclusive license with Hummingbird Bio provides Endeavor with a potential best-in-class HER3-ADC, with the opportunity to treat a large number of patients in multiple tumor types," said John Hood, Ph.D., Co-Founder, CEO and Chairman of Endeavor. "HER3 is more broadly expressed on tumors than HER2 and is expressed on tumors that do not express HER2. This next generation ADC has the potential to address significant unmet clinical needs in areas left behind by HER2 agents."
HMBD-501 is a differentiated ADC generated by Hummingbird Bio’s proprietary antibody discovery and engineering platform and key state-of-the-art ADC technologies, enabling a potentially enhanced efficacy and safety profile compared to previous generation ADCs. HMBD-501 binds a novel epitope on the HER3 receptor, such that binding is unaffected by NRG1 (HER3 ligand) levels, allowing binding to HER3-expressing tumors even in high ligand contexts.
"Hummingbird Bio has designed HMBD-501 to have a wider therapeutic index than current HER3 ADCs, maximizing the potential clinical benefit for patients, and we are delighted that Endeavor has recognized the potential of this ADC built with our proprietary antibody technology," said Piers Ingram, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Hummingbird Bio. "We are pleased to license HMBD-501 to the experienced Endeavor team to bring the molecule into the clinic and a step closer to benefiting patients."
About HMBD-501
Multiple HER3-positive tumor settings have demonstrated response to HER3-ADC therapeutic approaches. HMBD-501 has been generated by combining Hummingbird Bioscience’s antibody discovery and engineering platform and state-of-the-art ADC technologies to enable a potentially enhanced efficacy and safety profile compared to previous generation ADCs. With key proprietary technologies enabling a differentiated molecule, HMBD-501 is poised to become a best-in-class HER3 ADC.
About Endeavor BioMedicines
Endeavor BioMedicines, Inc., is a clinical stage company targeting the drivers of fibrosis and oncology. We combine best-in-class therapeutics with an evolving understanding of terminal diseases to develop medicines with the potential to reverse severe health conditions. Our lead program, ENV-101, is a Hedgehog signalling inhibitor currently in Phase 2 studies treating IPF. At Endeavor, we are an innovative and focused team that has come together to develop therapeutics that help patients feel better and live longer. Please visit us on our website at www.endeavorbiomedicines.com and on our LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) pages.
About Hummingbird Bioscience
Hummingbird Bioscience is a data-driven precision biotherapeutics company discovering and developing transformative biologic medicines for hard-to-treat diseases. The Hummingbird Bioscience model combines computational and systems biology with wet lab drug discovery in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative environment spanning initial discovery through clinical development. Hummingbird Bioscience harnesses this integrated approach across target identification and patient selection, enabling the team to increase the efficiency of translating novel scientific insights while reducing the inherent risk in drug discovery and development. The company is currently developing two clinical-stage assets: HMBD-001, a humanized anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody targeting a novel epitope on HER3, and HMBD-002, a humanized anti-VISTA IgG4 monoclonal antibody. Both programs are currently in Phase I studies. At Hummingbird Bioscience, the commitment to rigorous science, teamwork and intellectual integrity underpins our passion to accelerate the journey of new drugs from concept to clinic.
For more information, please visit www.hummingbirdbioscience.com, and follow Hummingbird Bioscience on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.
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