Syndax and Incyte collaborate on axatilimab for cGVHD

Shares of Syndax Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: SNDX) closed up more than 5% yesterday after the company announced a licensing deal with fellow USA-based biotech Incyte (Nasdaq: INCY) to develop and commercialize axatilimab, Syndax’s anti-CSF-1R monoclonal antibody.

“This partnership has the potential to significantly expand and maximize the axatilimab program across multiple lines of treatment in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), as well as additional indications in which the monocyte-macrophage lineage plays a vital role in the fibrotic disease process, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF),” said Dr Briggs Morrison, chief executive of Syndax.

“We are excited to partner with Syndax and for the opportunity to bring another potential treatment to patients with life-threatening conditions, like GVHD,” said Hervé Hoppenot, CEO of Incyte, adding: “Collaborations between companies like Incyte and Syndax, who are both dedicated to scientific advancement, contribute to the development of new innovative medicines that may benefit patient communities around the world.”