RE: Genmab3 Apr 2024 12:03
Violin,
Genmab clearly do like what Scancell has to offer as they have licensed one mAb and are evaluating another. Just to add some context here to explain why Genmab have spent so much on this acquisition:-
1) First and foremost it fits with their strategy. Genmab specialise in antibodies, their entire focus is on developing antibody based products. ProfoundBio also only develop antibodies and have a pipeline stuffed full of clinical and preclinical ADCs so the fit is perfect for Genmab.
2) ProfoundBio's ADCs target proven and/or hot targets. For example, their lead candidate targets FRa which has already been proven and validated as a target by other drugs with FDA approval in ovarian cancer. I can't stress enough what a difference this can make to valuations.
3) They have at least 2 or 3 ADCs in clincal trials. So fully defined products that have successfully been taken all the way through preclinical development, manufacture, trial design, regulatory approval etc. etc. and are now in the clinic. Scancell's mAbs are at a much eariler stage.
4) Their lead product has FDA Fast Track Designation and has produced some stunning early clinical results in ovarian/endometrial cancer patients with advanced metastatic inoperable disease who had failed on several previous lines of other therapies -
'Among 21 response-evaluable patients with ovarian and endometrial cancer, unselected for FRα expression, an initial objective response rate of 38% was observed (1 complete response (CR), 7 partial responses (PR)); an additional 9 patients had stable disease (SD), including 7 with decreasing tumor measurements'
Seems like a sensible acquisition for Genmab and good to see some M&A activity.