Ipsen & Foreseen Biotechnology Announce Exclusive Global Licensing Agreement for Antibody-Drug Conjugate With First-In-Class Potential 

Ipsen and Foreseen Biotechnology recently announced an exclusive global licensing agreement for FS001, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) with first-in-class potential. FS001 targets a novel tumor-associated antigen that is overexpressed in many solid tumors and plays a critical role in tumor proliferation and metastasis. This novel tumor antigen was identified using Foreseen’s high throughput, integrated translational proteomics, and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered screening platforms, to analyze their vast collection of well-characterized clinical tumor samples. FS001 utilized an innovative, stable and cleavable linker coupled to a potent topoisomerase I inhibitor. Preclinical efficacy of FS001 was demonstrated in multi-drug resistant cancer models. The agreement gives Ipsen exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize FS001.

“We are excited to add FS001, the second ADC Ipsen has in-licensed this year, to our growing pipeline. Using cutting-edge proteomics technology and AI-powered screening platforms the Foreseen team has uncovered a novel and clinically relevant target which could unlock the potential of ADCs for even more people living with hard-to-treat forms of cancer,” said Mary Jane Hinrichs, SVP and Head of Early Development at Ipsen. “As we prepare for the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial, we will evaluate FS001 in selected solid tumor types, which we hope will deliver critical new treatments for people living with cancer around the world.”

“Our strategic partnership with Ipsen provides a strong endorsement to our high throughput integrated translational proteomics platform approach to discover and develop innovative therapeutic products with first-in-class potential”, said Catherine Wong, Founder and Chairman of Foreseen. “We are pleased to be collaborating with Ipsen to advance FS001 globally, harnessing Ipsen’s robust track record in accelerating the clinical development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics. We believe FS001 has the potential to treat multiple cancers as a single agent or in combination with standard of care.”

Foreseen Biotechnology is eligible to receive up to $1.03bn comprising upfront, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, and tiered royalties on global sales, contingent upon successful development and regulatory approvals. Under the terms of the agreement, Ipsen will assume responsibility for Phase I preparation activities, including submission of the Investigational New Drug (IND) application, and all subsequent clinical-development, manufacturing, and global commercialization activities.

Ipsen a global biopharmaceutical company with a focus on bringing transformative medicines to patients in three therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Disease and Neuroscience. Our pipeline is fueled by external innovation and supported by nearly 100 years of development experience and global hubs in the U.S., France and the U.K. Our teams in more than 40 countries and our partnerships around the world enable us to bring medicines to patients in more than 80 countries. Ipsen is listed in Paris (Euronext: IPN) and in the U.S. through a Sponsored Level I American Depositary Receipt program (ADR: IPSEY). For more information, visit ipsen.com.

Foreseen Biotechnology is an emerging biotechnology company that pioneered a high throughput integrated translational proteomics platform powered by AI-based data analytical system to accelerate discovery of novel targets for therapeutics and diagnostics that are clinically relevant. We are building a pipeline of novel product candidates for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, inflammatory/autoimmune diseases and neurological disorders. Foreseen Biotechnology is incubated by Nest.Bio Ventures.

FS001 is a potential first-in-class ADC with demonstrated preclinical efficacy in multiple solid tumors as well as a favorable safety profile with wide therapeutic window in animal studies. FS001 is comprised of Foreseen’s proprietary antibody that specifically binds to a novel target identified using the company’s high throughput integrated translational proteomics platform and an innovative linker-payload with excellent pharmaceutical features developed by Shanghai Escugen Biotechnology Co. Ltd. FS001 is in the final stages of pre-clinical development.