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Global pharmaceutical firm GSK has reached an agreement to acquire a new investigational autoimmune therapy from Chimagen Biosciences in a deal that could reach $850 million.

The drug, coded CMG1A46, is both a CD19 and CD20-targeted T-cell engager (TCE), which GSK plans to develop for use in B-cell-driven autoimmune diseases, including lupus nephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

CMG1A46 has shown promise in reducing toxicities commonly associated with TCEs due to its high affinity for CD19 and CD20 positive B cells and low affinity for CD3.

“Through our work in systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis, we increasingly understand the underlying drivers of B cell-driven diseases. As a novel therapeutic option directed at deep B cell depletion, CMG1A46 offers exciting potential, which we are pleased to take forward to address unmet need in lupus and related autoimmune conditions,” emphasized Tony Wood, Chief Scientific Officer, GSK.

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Chimagen, the clinical stage biotechnology company, will receive an upfront payment of $300 million to handover global rights of the drug and will be eligible to receive a further $550 million based on achieving certain key developmental and commercial milestones.

Zhenhao Zhou, CEO at Chimagen, stated this new deal further validates the company’s proprietary T cell-engager platform and expressed excitement at the prospect of GSK developing CMG1A46 into a therapy that could potentially improve the lives of patients struggling with autoimmune disorders.

Phase I clinical trials for CMG1A46 are presently underway in China and the United States for leukemia and lymphoma, with GSK hoping to start a phase I trial for lupus in 2025.

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