Immunomedics Inc announced that Daiichi Pure Chemicals Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan, entered into a non-exclusive license agreement under Immunomedics' carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) patents, which cover antibodies that specifically recognize CEA, one of the most widely used markers for colorectal and other cancers.

Under this license agreement, in which Daiichi agreed to an up-front payment of $917,000 (pre-tax) and undisclosed royalties, including back-royalties and interest due since 1997 to Immunomedics, Daiichi will be permitted to supply key components for CEA immunoassay kits distributed worldwide by Beckman Coulter Inc for use on Beckman Coulter's advanced ACCESS System.

The CEA patent of Immunomedics is being enforced in Europe, where the Dutch Appeals Court recently held that Hoffmann - La Roche's sales of its CEA assay kits infringed Immunomedics' patent for specific antibodies against CEA. The court went further and issued a rare cross-border injunction against sale of the infringing products in all of the European countries where Immunomedics has patents corresponding to the European patent. The patent was held valid in Dutch and German patent courts and its validity was maintained on appeal in The Netherlands.

Immunomedics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacture and commercialization of diagnostic imaging and therapeutic products for the detection and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.