Amgen Returns Global Rights to MP0310, Forfeiting $50 Million Upfront Payment

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On April 26, Molecular Partners announced that its partner Amgen had informed the company of its decision to return the global rights of MP0310 (AMG506), a novel custom protein drug based on DARPin therapy co-developed by the two companies, to Molecular Partners following a strategic pipeline review.

Currently, MP0310 is undergoing Phase I clinical trials. The Phase I trial of MP0310 has just begun to reveal clinical findings that the therapy activates the immune-stimulatory receptor 4-1BB after the initial dose. The second part of the trial will focus on finding the dose for further study, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2022. Molecular Partners will seek to present the complete Phase I clinical data at scientific conferences.

On December 18, 2018, Amgen and Molecular Partners reached a cooperation agreement to jointly develop and commercialize Molecular Partners' DARPin® platform bispecific antibody MP0310 (FAP X 4-1BB), as well as to evaluate the efficacy of MP0310 in combination with Amgen’s BiTE® antibodies. According to the terms of the cooperation agreement at that time, Molecular Partners would receive an upfront payment of $50 million from Amgen and would be eligible for up to $497 million in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, with a total value exceeding $500 million.

DARPins® Therapy is a new class of small molecule protein therapeutics derived from naturally occurring ankyrin repeat proteins, one of the most common binding proteins in nature, responsible for various functions such as cell signaling and receptor binding. DARPin® therapy is based on mono-DARPin® proteins, which are robust and potent proteins that bind to a single specific target. DARPin® proteins can treat diseases of a single pathway (referred to as mono-DARPin® therapy) or effectively combine two or more mono-DARPin® proteins to form multi-DARPin® proteins. These combinations of single mono-DARPin® proteins can bind to multiple targets (or multiple sites on a single target) without altering the fundamental properties of the mono-DARPin® proteins.

DARPin® drugs have the following characteristics:

Image Source: MedSci

This flexible and low-cost drug development approach can accelerate the development of DARPin® therapeutic products while reducing risks during the development process through validated identification methods.

For Amgen, with all the advantages of MP0310, why did they decide to abandon the drug after a strategic pipeline review, letting a $50 million upfront payment go to waste? The reasons remain to be further disclosed.

As for Molecular Partners, following the conclusion of the transaction with Amgen, plans are now in place to continue the clinical development of MP0310 and seek a new buyer for the drug.

Reference Source:

1、MOLECULAR PARTNERS TO REGAIN GLOBAL RIGHTS FOR MP0310 FROM AMGEN

2. Amgen Invests $500 Million to Expand Bispecific Antibody Combination Therapy; Immune Cell Agonists Become a Hotspot