Organon and MRC sign up for antibody development programme

The pharmaceutical unit of Dutch chemicals giant Akzo Nobel, Organon, has signed a collaborative agreement with MRC Technology in the UK to develop a humanised antibody for the treatment of certain types of cancer, according to a company press release.

Financial details were undisclosed at the time of writing, but Organon revealed it would pay MRCT research and development milestones alongside royalties based on net sales resulting from the commercialisation of any antibody products. Organon will retain all development and commercialisation rights.

Organon said MRCT's Therapeutic Antibody Group (TAG) will be using its proprietary CDR grafting technology to develop a clinical candidate from an antibody discovered at its US research centre.

Organon's recently received marketing authorised acceptance by the European Medicanes Evaluation Agency (EMEA) for its sugammadex muscle relaxant reversal agent.

The original application was based on safety and efficacy data collected from over 1700 patients in ten phase III trials, the results of which were presented at the Euroanaesthesia 2007 congress in Munich in June.

Organon added that anticipated submissions for the US and Japan were proceeding in line with previously disclosed timelines.