InxMed Enters License Agreement with Escugen to Develop Next-Generation ADCs

NANJING, China, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — InxMed, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicates on developing innovative therapies against drug resistance, and Escugen, a clinical-stage antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) company, today announced that InxMed licensed EZWi-Fit® linker-payload platform from Escugen for the development of the next generation tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) targeting ADCs.  

The license agreement provides InxMed with right to use EZWi-Fit® platform on the several novel ADC candidate molecules. InxMed will have the right for development, manufacturing, and commercialization of these ADC candidate molecules. 

InxMed is developing next generation TAAs targeting ADCs with significant improvement of efficacy and therapeutic window. Meanwhile, the company is developing solutions to boost ADC’s efficacy including enhancing ADC penetration via FAK inhibitor and developing stroma targeting ADC to create synergy.

InxMed is positioned to invent next generation ADCs, with the attributes to be more tumor selective and potent, and broad combination potential. The novel antibodies discovered by InxMed to be equipped with payload from EZWi-Fit®platform will be one of key differentiations.     

About InxMed

InxMed is a clinical-stage biotech company established in the end of 2018. The company dedicates on developing innovative therapies against tumor resistance and metastasis. InxMed is committed to build an efficient engine for clinical translational science and proof of concept platform driven by in-depth understanding of disease biology. 

InxMed has translational medicine and clinical teams at Nanjing，Shanghai and  Beijing in China, and has team members located in the United States, Canada and Australia. Through its own discovery research and development, and collaborative research and development, InxMed has built a highly differentiated, and intrinsic synergistic pipeline. InxMed has completed several rounds of financing totaling more than 100 million US dollars raised. Its first developing drug, IN10018, a highly potent and selective oral inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), received Fast-track Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the China National Medical Products Administration against platin resistant ovarian cancer. The pivotal clinical trial is ongoing.

About EZWi-Fit®

EZWi-Fit® is the State-of-the-Art ADC platform technology invented by Escugen with the global IP rights. It couples a potent Topoisomerase I inhibitor with high and homogeneous drug-antibody ratio (DAR) to the antibody with a stable cleavable linker. The proprietary chemical modification of the linker not only confers the conjugates with excellent hydrophilicity, but also minimizes the de-conjugation of the linker-payload. Outstanding Pharmacokinetic features so derived provides ADC with substantial in vivo efficacy, which is superior to that of GGFG-Dxd ADC in multiple CDX and PDX models, involving different targets and antibodies. Great By-stander Effect of the linker-payload warrants specific and significant efficacy in various low affluence and high heterogenicity target expressing tumor models, which is even resistance to MMAE and Dxd ADC. The EZWi-Fit® derived ADC is well tolerated in the Non-Human Primate toxicology studies, without reaching the Maximum Tolerable Dose (MTD) at 60-80 mg/kg.

With this edge-cutting technology, Escugen is quickly expanding the Frist-in-Class ADC pipeline to satisfy the unmet medical needs.

About Escugen

Escugen was founded in 2017，focusing on the development of innovative Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC) for cancer therapy. The founders of Escugen are veterans of biotech industry, with rich working experience gained in the leading companies of both China and the US. The expertise of its research team covers antibody discovery, bio-conjugation, process development, quality research, preclinical and clinical studies.

The most advanced project, ESG401, currently in PhIb/II clinical trials, is a TROP-2 ADC that uses an innovative stable cleavable linker designed for significant reduction of the off-target toxicity. Topoisomerase I inhibitor is the payload, with the Drug-Antibody Ratio (DAR) at 8 homogeneously. Clinical data shows that the tolerable dose of ESG401 is remarkably greater than that of other ADCs to the same target. The incidence of the Off-target toxicity, such as neutropenia, is low and mild, and no diarrhea greater than Grade 3 has been reported. The On-target Off-tumor toxicity, such as stomatitis, was rare. In the patients with heavily treated metastatic triple-negative and HR+/Her-2- breast cancer, promising evidence of efficacy has been observed, including the regression of the visceral and intracranial metastatic lesions.

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SOURCE InxMed Co., Ltd