SOTIO Expands its Antibody-Drug Conjugate Pipeline with Exclusive Collaboration and License Agreement with LegoChem Biosciences

• SOTIO Biotech licenses LegoChem Biosciences (LCB) technology for five new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) programs
• Rights to LCB’s ADC platform acquired for total of up to $1027.5 million payable based on certain developments and regulatory achievements, including upfront and near-term success dependent milestones worth up to $29.5 million
• SOTIO will be responsible for the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of the ADC products

The deal enables SOTIO to combine its proprietary antibodies with LCB’s ADC technology platform in order to deliver novel therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumors and includes LCB’s proprietary conjugation technology ConjuAll™ and potent linker-payload platform including multiple different payloads.

Under the terms of the multi-target agreement, LCB is eligible to receive upfront and potential milestone payments worth up to $1027.5 million, payable based on certain developments and regulatory achievements, plus royalties on net sales. The deal includes upfront and near-term milestones worth up to $29.5 million, subject to exercise of the options and achievement of success-based milestones. No further financial details are disclosed.

“At SOTIO we are building an innovative pipeline of ADC programs and plan IND filing for our lead program SOT102 by the end of 2021.  The licensing agreement with our new, experienced partner LegoChem allows us to broaden our oncology pipeline with additional programs and solid tumor targets. We are looking forward to using the potential of LegoChem’s ADC technology platform and to develop innovative ADCs for patients in need,” said Radek Spisek, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of SOTIO.

SOTIO will be responsible for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of the ADC products, while LCB will support and work closely with SOTIO for the research activities and the manufacturing of components that are specifically related to its proprietary ConjuAll™ and the linker-payload technologies.

Dr. Yong-Zu Kim, CEO and President of LCB added: “This collaboration is yet another example that illustrates how the value proposition of the LCB platform can increase the competitive position of our partners within the ADC space. SOTIO is an ideal partner for LCB due to its expertise and strategic focus on innovative antibody drug conjugates, and we look forward to working closely together on multiple innovative programs.”