Pierre Fabre and ValenzaBio collaborate on anti-IGF-1R antibody for TED

French privately-held drugmaker Pierre Fabre h2as signed a license agreement with US biotech ValenzaBio on a pre-clinical insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) antagonist antibody, for the treatment of thyroid eye disease (TED), an endocrine disease with unmet medical need.

Under the deal, ValenzaBio receives worldwide and exclusive rights from Pierre Fabre to develop and commercialize, outside of oncology, the anti-IGF-1R antibody, discovered by the French firm, with the aim of treating patients suffering from TED. Other indications in rare diseases could also be developed by ValenzaBio. In parallel, Pierre Fabre is pursuing the development of its anti-IGF-1R ADC program (W0101) in oncology.

“Pierre Fabre's expertise in monoclonal antibody and on the IGF-1 biology led us to develop a compound with picomolar binding affinity and unique internalization properties. Based on these properties, this monoclonal antibody has the potential to be the best-in-class product for the treatment of TED. ValenzaBio has demonstrated an ability to apply thoughtful clinical and regulatory strategies to take oncology drugs into autoimmune and inflammatory settings. We are now delighted to work with the highly motivated team at ValenzaBio to bring this antibody to autoimmune patients with medical needs,” said Nathalie Corvaia, head of immune-oncology research at Pierre Fabre.