Ablynx extends agreement with Wyeth

Belgian biopharmaceutical company Ablynx has extended its TNF-alpha partnership with Wyeth for another year.

Wyeth and Ablynx are developing novel Nanobody-based therapeutics against TNF-alpha. Wyeth has exclusive rights to develop and commercialise the anti-TNF-alpha Nanobodies developed under the collaboration.

Nanobodies are therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments. Ablynx has been developing small antibodies by cloning the DNA sequences of llamas, which have smaller antibodies than humans. In theory, the technology will take antibodies to a smaller level, allowing their use in drugs that can be taken orally or applied in creams and sprays.

As part of the collaboration, Ablynx is given research funding and would be entitled to future milestone payments and royalties upon commercialisation.

Ablynx has ongoing research collaborations and multi-target partnerships with several major pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, Centocor (J&J), Kirin Breweries and P&G Pharma.

Dr Edwin Moses, CEO and Chairman of Ablynx, said: "This is an important partnership for Ablynx and we are delighted to continue our joint efforts to advance the TNF-alpha Nanobody-based programme to the next stage."

Dr Frank Walsh, executive vice-president and head of discovery research of Wyeth, added: "We continue to be excited about the potential of Ablynx's Nanobody technology as a platform for next-generation therapeutics targeted to TNF-alpha."