Johnson & Johnson Inks $1.7B Deal for Trop2-Targeted ADC LCB84

On December 26, LigaChem Biosciences announced that it had entered into a licensing agreement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for the development and commercialization of the Trop2 ADC drug LCB8.4. On December 23, 2022, South Korea's LegoChem Biosciences entered into a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Amgen. LegoChem granted Amgen the rights to develop and commercialize ADC drugs targeting up to five selected targets by Amgen, based on LegoChem’s proprietary ConjuAll ADC technology.Profit.（$1.25 Billion! Amgen Bets on Five ADC Drug Development Collaborations）

Under the terms of the agreement, LCB will grant Janssen an exclusive license to develop and commercialize LCB84 globally. LCB is eligible to receive up to $1.7 billion in potential total consideration, including a $100 million upfront payment, a $200 million option exercise fee, as well as potential development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, along with tiered royalties on net sales. The two companies will collaborate during the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial, and Janssen will assume full responsibility for clinical development and commercialization after the option is exercised.

LCB84 is a Trop2-directed ADC that utilizes LCB's next-generation ADC platform technology and a Trop2 antibody licensed from Mediterranea Theranostic, s.r.l. It is currently undergoing a recently initiated Phase 1/2 clinical trial in the United States. The ADC features a unique targeting mechanism that binds to a distinctive cleaved form of the Trop2 antigen, which is highly expressed in cancer cells. Preclinical data indicate that LCB84 demonstrates differentiated safety and efficacy profiles across various cancers, showcasing its potential as a Trop2-targeting ADC.