Catalyst Biosciences forges $195M pact with MedImmune

Catalyst Biosciences is on a roll. A week after announcing a new collaboration pact with Wyeth, Catalyst today unveiled a research and licensing pact with MedImmune that is worth up to $195 million in upfront fees, employee support and milestones. Catalyst did not specify the upfront amount that MedImmune will pay.

The South San Francisco-based developer will work with MedImmune to develop "novel engineered proteases that specifically degrade or modulate two targets, one of which will address inflammatory and autoimmune diseases." The pact covers research and preclinical work. In exchange for milestones and royalties MedImmune will be responsible for all development, manufacturing, and commercialization efforts for any products they discover.

"We are very pleased to add MedImmune, a leading developer of biologic therapies, as a partner," said Catalyst CEO Nassim Usman. "Our Alterase drug discovery engine is creating novel next-generation protein therapeutics against a broad variety of important disease targets. Collaborations such as this demonstrate the high value of our discovery and protein engineering capabilities."

At the end of June Catalyst revealed a collaboration pact with Wyeth--potentially worth more than $500 million--covering therapies for hemophilia and bleeding disorders.  

- check out the Catalyst release

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