Kyowa Hakko Kirin and Adimab announce collaboration

Kyowa Hakko Kirin has allied with healthcare technology innovator Adimab on new research into fully human antibodies.

The agreement will see Adimab use its proprietary discovery and optimisation platform to identify fully human antibodies against two targets selected by Kyowa Hakko Kirin, with a membrane protein already selected as the initial collaboration target.

Kyowa Hakko Kirin has the rights to research antibodies generated from the collaboration for potential use as therapeutic products, with Adimab receiving various upfront payments including research fees and technical milestones.

This deal is based on Adimab's success in its past technology collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies including Biogen Idec, Gilead Sciences, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Novartis.

Guy Van Meter, vice-president of business development at Adimab, said: "Speed is always a factor in antibody discovery, but the ability to consistently deliver where other technologies have failed is just as important."

Last month, Kyowa Hakko Kirin launched a new facility at its Ube plant in Japan, which will be used in the formulation of solid dosage forms.