Nanobiotix inks deal with Janssen on radioenhancer NBTXR3

Shares of French clinical-stage biotech Nanobiotix (Euronext: NANO) shot up more than 51% to 6.99 euros by early afternoon, having risen as high as 7.59 euros, on news of a lucrative licensing deal for its radioenhancer NBTXR3 with Janssen that could bring in as much as $2.5 billion.

Under the terms of the accord, in collaboration with the Interventional Oncology R&D Unit at Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Nanobiotix will grant J&J subsidiary Janssen a worldwide license for the development and commercialization of NBTXR3. The license is exclusive, excepting territories previously licensed to Nanobiotix partner LianBio.

NBTXR3 is now being evaluated in several studies across solid tumor indications including NANORAY-312, a global Phase III pivotal study evaluating NBTXR3 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. NBTXR3 is also being evaluated for its potential as a systemic agent in combination with anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with metastatic cancers.