Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced that it has acquired from TenX BioPharma, Inc. the rights to zanolimumab, an investigational, late-stage monoclonal antibody cancer therapy targeting T-cell lymphomas. Zanolimumab has been evaluated in 130 T-cell lymphoma patients to date. Zanolimumab has received fast track and orphan drug status from the US Food and Drug Administration, and orphan drug status from the European Medicines Agency.

Under the terms of the agreement, TenX BioPharma Inc. received a $2.5 million upfront cash payment upon closing. In addition, Emergent will pay TenX BioPharma, Inc. up to $5.5 million if certain development milestones are achieved and royalties on future products sales to third parties.

Emergent acquired worldwide rights to all oncology, autoimmune and inflammatory disease indications for zanolimumab and will be responsible for all future costs of developing, manufacturing, and commercializing zanolimumab.

Zanolimumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody in an advanced stage of clinical evaluation for two forms of blood cancer, Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) and Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma (PTCL). Both diseases affect certain kinds of white blood cells called T-lymphocytes. CTCL is a cutaneous disease and PTCL is a systemic, aggressive sub-type of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL).

“This product acquisition further broadens our development pipeline in the high-growth area of oncology,” said Fuad El-Hibri, chairman and chief executive officer of Emergent BioSolutions. “We believe zanolimumab could provide the late-stage CTCL patient population with a new treatment option for this incurable disease. In addition to broadening Emergent's product portfolio, zanolimumab leverages the scientific and clinical expertise of our BioSciences division in Seattle.”

Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma comes in many forms, each of which appears and progresses differently and requires different treatment. More than 90 percent of patients with CTCL express malignant CD4+ T-cells, the type of cells that zanolimumab targets. T-cells, also called T-lymphocytes, belong to a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in cell-mediated immunity.

Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma involves cancerous T-cells that may grow excessively in lymph nodes and may also be found in the peripheral circulating blood. It can occur in anyone from young adults to the elderly, and is slightly more common in men than women.

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