Ono, Medarex enter second collaboration to develop fully human antibody therapeutic

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, March 28 - Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Medarex, Inc. announced Tuesday that they will collaborate to research and develop a fully human anti-SDF-1 antibody for the potential treatment of multiple indications.

This is the second antibody development collaboration between Ono and Medarex. Anti-SDF-1 antibodies have been raised using Medarex's UltiMAb Human Antibody Development System, according to a company news release.

Under this collaboration, Ono and Medarex said they expect to jointly work toward potential commercialization of a fully human antibody.

The companies said they plan to share the costs and responsibilities of research and product development up to the completion of a phase 2 clinical study.

Thereafter, each company said it will be fully responsible for any continued development and any commercialization in its exclusive territory with Medarex's territory in North America and Ono's territory in all areas outside of North America.

SDF-1, or stromal cell-derived factor 1, is a member of the chemokine protein family whose members are involved in cell migration. SDF-1 has been implicated in a variety of diseases and it is anticipated that blocking functions of SDF-1 could lead to uses in multiple therapeutic indications.

Ono is an Osaka, Japan, research-based pharmaceutical company.

Medarex is a Princeton, N.J., biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization of fully human antibody-based therapeutics to treat cancer, inflammation, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.

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