GSK licenses candidate therapeutic Ab OP-R003 from EUSA and Vaccinex for $44M

UK-based drug major GlaxoSmithKline has licensed rights to OP-R003, a human anti-interleukin-6 antibody, from fellow UK-based EUSA Pharma for $44.0 million. The agent, which was acquired by EUSA as part of its $175.0 million purchase of OPi SA early last year (Marketletter March 12, 2007), was developed by the latter firm in collaboration with US antibody specialist Vaccinex.

OP-R003, which is intended for the treatment of a variety of indications ranging from cancers to inflammatory disorders, targets the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, which is involved in B-cell proliferation and has been shown to be key to the development of resistance to chemotherapy.

In studies conducted to date, the agent, which is a humanized derivative of the murine antibody elsilimomab, has demonstrated potential efficacy against harvested lymphoma cells.