Novimmune and Baxalta ink international bispecific antibody collaboration

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND--(Marketwired - Sep 2, 2015) - Novimmune SA announced today that it has signed an international research collaboration agreement with Baxalta Incorporated (Baxalta) to develop novel bispecific antibodies for an unspecified indication. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is the first collaboration utilizing Novimmune's new kappa-lambda bispecific antibody technology. The proprietary platform generates fully human antibodies which target two specific binding sites with one antibody.

"The kappa-lambda platform is exactly the right technology for therapy areas which need a bispecific antibody that is as close to a natural human antibody as you can get," said Novimmune CEO Jack Barbut.

Bispecific antibodies currently used in biopharmaceutical applications have been constructed using chemical linkers, non-human material, antibody fragments or forced engineering, he said.

"Our kappa-lambda antibodies are allowed to assemble naturally," said Head of Research Nicolas Fischer. "So, they have promising development and safety characteristics such as a longer half-life, increased stability and a lower risk of provoking an unwanted reaction in patients."

Baxalta (NYSEBXLT) is a newly established global biopharmaceutical leader developing, manufacturing and commercializing therapies for orphan diseases and underserved conditions in hematology, oncology and immunology.

Novimmune SA is a Swiss biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of antibody-based drugs for the targeted treatment of inflammatory diseases, immune-related disorders, and cancer. The company is headquartered in Geneva. More information is available on the company website at www.novimmune.com.

Contact:

Jack Barbut
+41 22 839 71 41
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Novimmune SA

14 Chemin des Aulx 
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+41 22 839 71 41 Tel
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www.novimmune.com