XL-protein Signs Licensing Agreement with MSD Animal Health

XL-protein GmbH has announced that they have entered into a license agreement with MSD Animal Health (known as Merck Animal Health in the USA and Canada) to develop PASylated biopharmaceuticals for use in animal health. This license agreement follows a research collaboration between the two companies which began in 2012 and included a feasibility study in target animals.

Under the terms of the agreement, MSD Animal Health acquires worldwide exclusive rights for certain biopharmaceutical drug candidates. In support of the commercialization effort, XL-protein will further optimize the drug candidates against undisclosed MSD Animal Health targets using its proprietary PASylation platform for plasma half-life extension.

This technology has been previously used for human health medications. MSD Animal Health will be responsible for clinical development and commercialization of biopharmaceuticals generated under the collaboration.

“We are delighted to be working with such a renowned partner as MSD Animal Health, who is a leader in the field of veterinary medicine”, said Claus Schalper, CEO&CFO of XL-protein. Prof. Dr. Arne Skerra, CSO of XL-protein, added: “This agreement with MSD Animal Health reflects the significant advantages we have seen for our PASylation platform over competing technologies for creating biologic drug candidates with extended half-life and enhanced action, especially with regard to tolerance and biodegradability in treated subjects.”

“We strongly believe in the product development synergies between human and animal health and look forward to the opportunities this collaboration will offer to meet the unique challenges in the animal health market,” says Holger Lehmann, Head of Drug Discovery at MSD Animal Health.