BioNTech to Acquire Biotheus to Boost Oncology Strategy

BioNTech SE  and Biotheus recently announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Biotheus, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel antibodies to address unmet medical needs of patients with oncological or inflammatory diseases.

With the acquisition, BioNTech will obtain full global rights to the late-stage clinical asset BNT327/PM8002, an investigational bispecific antibody targeting PD-L1 and VEGF-A. The transaction is part of BioNTech’s oncology strategy, aimed at enhancing the company’s capabilities to research, develop and commercialize combination therapies using BNT327/PM8002. Clinical trials with BNT327/PM8002 and the PD-(L)1 x VEGF bispecific class of drugs have demonstrated encouraging clinical activity in various tumor types including in patients with PD-L1-low and -negative tumors who have typically been less responsive to current checkpoint inhibitor treatments.

“The acquisition of Biotheus builds on our successful ongoing collaboration on BNT327/PM8002 and other investigational bispecific antibodies,” said Prof. Ugur Sahin, MD, PhD, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech. “We believe that BNT327/PM8002 has the potential to set a new standard of care in multiple oncology indications, surpassing traditional checkpoint inhibitors. We are committed to advancing its research and development in combination with our investigational mRNA vaccines, targeted therapies, and immunomodulators with the aim of enhancing outcomes for patients with solid tumors.”

“We are thrilled to deepen our bond with BioNTech. We share the goal of advancing the development of BNT327/PM8002 for future combination therapies in the fight against cancer,” added Xiaolin Liu, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of Biotheus. “We believe that BNT327/PM8002 holds significant potential across various tumor indications, and we have an exciting pipeline of innovative investigational assets under development including an antibody discovery and development platform. As we move forward, we are committed to leveraging our strengths with the aim of advancing transformative cancer treatments and enhance our ability to develop treatments for patients in need.”

BNT327/PM8002 has shown encouraging efficacy and tolerability in patients across various tumor types, with more than 700 patients treated in clinical trials to date. Multiple registrational trials are planned to start in 2024 and 2025, evaluating BNT327/PM8002 plus chemotherapy in various solid tumor indications including in patients with small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and triple-negative breast cancer. Additional trials will explore combining BNT327/PM8002 and BioNTech’s proprietary antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). In June 2024, the evaluation of BNT327/PM8002 in combination with BNT325/DB-1305, a Trophoblast Cell-Surface Antigen 2 (TROP2)-targeted ADC candidate developed by BioNTech in collaboration with Duality Biologics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. (DualityBio), was initiated as part of an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial (NCT05438329).

Under the terms of the agreement, BioNTech will pay Biotheus shareholders an upfront consideration of $800 million, predominantly in cash, with a small portion in American depositary shares (ADS), to acquire 100% of the issued share capital, subject to customary purchase price adjustments, plus additional performance-based contingent payments of up to $150 million if certain milestones are met. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The acquisition follows an initial exclusive global license and collaboration agreement between BioNTech and Biotheus, which closed in November 2023, granting BioNTech the rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize BNT327/PM8002 globally ex-Greater China.

Upon closing, BioNTech will gain full rights to Biotheus’ pipeline candidates and its in-house bispecific antibody drug conjugate capability. The acquisition will expand BioNTech’s footprint in China, adding a local research and development hub to conduct clinical trials. In addition, BioNTech will gain a state-of-the-art biologics manufacturing facility to contribute to its future global manufacturing and supply, and more than 300 Biotheus employees in R&D, manufacturing and enabling functions are expected to join the BioNTech workforce.

BNT327/PM8002 is an investigational bispecific antibody combining PD-L1 checkpoint inhibition with VEGF-A neutralization. The checkpoint inhibition is aimed at restoring T cells’ ability to recognize and destroy tumor cells while targeting VEGF-A is aimed at inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, which cuts off the blood and oxygen supply that feeds tumor cells and thus prevents the tumor from growing and proliferating. The combined blockade of the PD-(L)1 pathway and the VEGF-A driven angiogenesis has been shown to deliver synergistically enhanced anti-tumor immune responses in several solid tumor types. If successfully developed and approved, BioNTech aims to use this bispecific antibody candidate as a new therapeutic backbone in combination with other treatment modalities targeting different oncogenic pathways.

Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) is a global next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. BioNTech exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, several protein-based therapeutics, including bispecific immune checkpoint modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, as well as small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global and specialized pharmaceutical collaborators, including Biotheus, DualityBio, Fosun Pharma, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Genevant, Genmab, MediLink, OncoC4, Pfizer and Regeneron. For more information, visit www.BioNTech.com.