Avalo Therapeutics Transfers Anti-IL-18 Antibody to Apollo Therapeutics

Avalo Therapeutics, Inc. and Apollo Therapeutics Group Limited have entered into a worldwide, exclusive license agreement granting rights to Apollo to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize AVTX-007 (camoteskimab), Avalo’s anti-IL-18 monoclonal antibody product. Under the terms of the agreement, Apollo will assume responsibility for the future development of AVTX-007, including the ongoing clinical trial. Apollo will lead future clinical development in its selected therapeutic indications.

“This transaction is critically important to Avalo.  It extends our cash runway and allows us to increase our focus on our lead molecule, AVTX-002, and our ongoing phase 2 PEAK trial evaluating AVTX-002 for the treatment of non-eosinophilic asthma,” said Garry A. Neil, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Avalo Therapeutics. “Furthermore, we are excited to transition camoteskimab to a capable and well-funded partner in Apollo Therapeutics whom we expect will progress the development of this promising asset to the potential benefit of patients and our collective financial interests.”

“We are pleased to have entered into this agreement with Avalo and look forward to building upon the work done to date with camoteskimab,” added Richard Mason, MD, Chief Executive of Apollo. “With our university partners we have built translational leadership in three core areas of biological focus – immunology, cell signaling, and cell stress responses and metabolism – and the addition of this Phase 2 ready antibody for an important inflammasome target substantially accelerates the growth of our pipeline in this area of immunology, where we are advancing additional preclinical programs. We seek further opportunities to acquire clinical assets in our areas of biological and therapeutic focus.”

Pursuant to the license agreement, Avalo will receive within 5 days of execution of the agreement $5 million of upfront fee and an additional approximately $10 million as consideration for transfer activities. Apollo will also pay Avalo up to $74 million of milestones, as well as a royalty payment of a low single digit percentage of annual net sales.

The AVTX-007 program was originally licensed to Avalo by MedImmune Limited, a subsidiary of AstraZeneca plc, and such license was transferred to Apollo as part of the transaction.

Camoteskimab is a high affinity, fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the proinflammatory cytokine IL-18.

Avalo Therapeutics is a leading clinical-stage precision medicine company that discovers, develops, and commercializes targeted therapeutics for patients with significant unmet clinical need in immunology and rare genetic diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of innovative therapies to deliver meaningful medical impact for patients in urgent need. The company’s clinical candidates commonly have a proven mechanistic rationale, biomarkers and/or an established proof-of-concept to expedite and increase the probability of success. For more information, visit www.avalotx.com.

Apollo Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company, rapidly advancing a robust pipeline of potentially transformative therapeutic programs based on breakthrough discoveries. We identify and develop pre-clinical and clinical stage assets with strong biological hypotheses and the potential to become meaningful new treatment options. Our team combines ‘drug hunters’ and deep subject matter experts who together are building an expansive and de-risked portfolio in oncology, major inflammatory disorders, and rare diseases. Backed by leading specialist investors including Patient Square Capital and Rock Springs Capital, we have operations in Cambridge, UK, and Boston, MA. Apollo Therapeutics has core innovation sourcing and drug discovery collaborations with four of the world’s leading universities; University of Cambridge, University College London, Imperial College London, and Kings College London. For more information, visit apollotherapeutics.com.