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So far, Singapore-based EpimAb Biotherapeutics has focused its platform on the oncology space. When Almirall raked in 200 million euros ($211 million) via a share capital increase in June, the Spanish biopharma name-checked licensing opportunities as one potential way to splash its newfound cash. Four months later, the dermatology company appears to have found its first opportunity, signing a bispecific antibodies deal worth $210 million in biobucks. That money will give Almirall access to EpimAb Biotherapeutics’ Fabs-In-Tandem Immunoglobulin platform to generate, develop and commercialize bispecific antibodies. Almirall will have exclusive global rights to any resulting therapies from the collaboration in return for milestone payments totaling up to $210 million as well as a slice of the royalties. “This agreement with EpimAb is an important step forward and a great example of our ambition to develop new biologics in the dermatology field to ultimately bring innovation to patients,” Almirall Chief Scientific Officer Karl Ziegelbauer, Ph.D., said in the Oct. 12 release. EpimAb’s technology generates bispecific antibodies using only the basic structural parts of monoclonal antibodies without adding any complex changes. So far, the Singapore-based company has focused its platform on the oncology space, with five clinical-stage assets in the works. The most advanced is EMB-01, a bispecific antibody designed to target both EGFR and cMet on tumor cells, which is in trials for breast and gastrointestinal cancers. “While we have made significant progress in utilizing our platform technology to develop a differentiated portfolio of bispecific antibodies in oncology, the potential of our platform in other areas such as immunology remains untapped,” EpimAb CEO Chengbin Wu, Ph.D., said in the release. “We believe Almirall is the partner of choice for this endeavor and look forward to exploring the use of our novel bispecific platform to offer additional treatment options for patients with immune-related disorders.” Today’s deal isn’t Almirall’s first dalliance with a bispecific-focused Asian company. Back in 2020, Almirall signed an agreement to access WuXi Biologics’ antibody platforms to discover multiple new bispecific antibodies. The Barcelona-based company’s hunt to expand its pipeline comes as it continues to wait for European regulators to make a call on whether to approve the atopic dermatitis therapy lebrikizumab. When closing its share capital increase in June, Almirall said it would use part of the proceeds to “actively pursue and swiftly execute inorganic growth opportunities (including bolt-on acquisitions and in-licensing opportunities) that are currently under analysis.”

SHANGHAI & SUZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EpimAb Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in bispecific antibody development, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a Phase Ib/II study in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluating the combination of EMB-01, a bispecific antibody designed to simultaneously target EGFR and cMET on tumor cells, and Tagrisso® (osimertinib), AstraZeneca’s (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) third-generation EGFR-TKI. AstraZeneca is providing Tagrisso® for this trial under a non-exclusive clinical trial collaboration agreement. “This is an important milestone for EpimAb as we continue on our trajectory to advance our bispecific pipeline and look to explore the potential of our assets for combination therapy,” said Dr. Chengbin Wu, founder and CEO of EpimAb. “EMB-01 has demonstrated efficacy in multiple preclinical models as well as in our ongoing clinical trial program. We look forward to evaluating the potential synergies of this asset with Tagrisso in this study, alongside our ongoing global Phase I/II study of EMB-01 as a monotherapy.” “Non-small cell lung cancer is one of the most common oncology indications worldwide, yet there remains a huge unmet need among NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations who develop resistance to third-generation TKIs,” said Dr. Bin Peng, CMO of EpimAb. “The combination of EMB-01 and Tagrisso has the potential to synergistically inhibit tumor growth, ultimately expanding treatment options for patients.” The planned Phase Ib/II trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of EMB-01 in combination with Tagrisso® in patients with NSCLC with EGFR mutations. Pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and the anti-tumor activity of EMB-01 combined with Tagrisso® will also be assessed. About EMB-01 EMB-01 is a novel bispecific antibody developed based on EpimAb’s proprietary FIT-Ig® platform to simultaneously target EGFR and cMet on tumor cells. It is being studied in Phase I/II clinical trials in NSCLC as well as several GI indications in the U.S. and China. About EpimAb Biotherapeutics, Inc. EpimAb Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of multispecific antibodies, with research and CMC facilities in Shanghai and Suzhou. Utilizing our broad range of in-house research and technology capabilities, including the proprietary FIT-Ig® (Fabs-In-Tandem Immunoglobulin) bispecific platform, EpimAb is generating and globally advancing a unique pipeline of transformative preclinical and clinical assets that aim to benefit cancer patients. For further information, please visit .