Roche Signs $1B Licensing Deal with Qyuns Therapeutics for Preclinical COPD Bispecific Antibody

Roche has signed a licensing deal worth over $1 billion (including $75 million upfront and up to $995 million in milestones) with Chinese biotech Qyuns Therapeutics for global rights to their bispecific antibody QX031N targeting respiratory diseases1.

QX031N is designed to target both human thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and interleukin-33 (IL-33), proteins implicated in the inflammatory response that characterizes diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma1.

The bispecific antibody is currently at the preclinical stage and is positioned as a potential 'best-in-disease' therapy for both COPD and asthma, areas of high unmet clinical need1.

This licensing marks another major global commitment to innovation coming from Chinese biotech firms in the respiratory disease space, following a trend of large Western biopharma companies forming partnerships in China1.

Qyuns Therapeutics specializes in rabbit monoclonal antibodies, believed to possess high affinity and specificity and offering advantages related to bioactivity and reduced immunogenicity1.

The deal includes tiered royalties for Qyuns should QX031N achieve market success in addition to the upfront and milestone payments1.

This agreement follows Roche’s setback with its prior COPD therapy astegolimab, which failed a phase 3 trial, underlining Roche's continued efforts to secure new treatments for chronic respiratory conditions1.

Sources:

1. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/roche-pens-1b-biobucks-deal-chinese-companys-respiratory-disease-bispecific