MacroGenics Stops Bispecific Development; Third Arc Bio Signs $840M Licensing Deal with Adagene

MacroGenics has decided to halt development of lorigerlimab, a bispecific PD-1 × CTLA-4 antibody, in second-line metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) after interim results from the Phase 2 LORIKEET trial showed no improvement in the experimental arm's primary endpoint compared to control1 5 7.

MacroGenics will continue to explore lorigerlimab’s potential in ovarian and other gynecologic cancers through the Phase 2 LINNET study, while its other ADC programs (MGC026, MGC028, MGC030) remain active1 5.

Third Arc Bio has entered into a licensing agreement with Adagene, paying $5 million upfront and potentially up to $840 million in milestone payments for the right to use Adagene’s SAFEbody technology to develop masked CD3 T cell engagers targeting unique tumor-associated antigens2 4 6 8.

Third Arc Bio gains global rights to research, develop, and commercialize two bioengineered candidates, while Adagene retains a no-cost option to develop and market these in Greater China, Singapore, and South Korea4.

The partnership aims to generate novel CD3- and CD28-targeting T cell engagers with enhanced therapeutic index, leveraging Third Arc Bio's ArcStim platform and Adagene’s proprietary masking technology2 4.