It’s almost unsettling how close we were to having a totally different life, a life that didn’t boast any imprints of technology. With tech sphere so dominant in today’s world, you can’t help but struggle to think of any alternative reality that would have been better than what we have right now. After all, the opportunities here are seemingly limitless, so how do you even beat that? What’s more is that this sense of infinite possibilities isn’t just restricted to certain areas. Instead, it better resembles the idea of collectively envisioning a better tomorrow. Now, there are many things that make the cut to be a part of our vision, but some of these elements are just plainly more significant than others. For instance, if compared to other frontiers, we will be doubling down on our cautiousness when cutting corners in an area like healthcare. To this date, healthcare remains one of the biggest beneficiaries of technology. The sector’s glow up, as a result of having cutting-edge devices and methodologies, has been real, and it’s only getting better with time. On a granular level, this development is occurring across a varied set of disciplines, and one such discipline that has stepped up its game over the last few years has been pharmaceuticals. Even though the pharmaceuticals industry has always been an important part of our ecosystem, it really reinvented its image by bringing advanced medication treatment into the fold, thus straightening up some of the most wrinkled medical complications. Another thing that technology is out to achieve here, however, would be improving drug delivery process, and in this particular regard, we are about to see a big leap.
Johnson & Johnson has finally closed a deal with Xencor to buy global rights for plamotamab, a bispecific antibody. From what is reported to be a $125 million dollar deal, J & J will be forking out $100 million upfront, while the remaining $25 million will be coughed up through equity investments. Both the companies involved will share the cost of development at 80:20 ratios, with J & J understandably bearing the bigger chunk.
Bispecific drugs have lately picked up a sizeable momentum across the industry. The idea of targeting two separate points with just one drug instantly simplifies the whole process, as well as reduces the burden on patient’s body. If we talk about Xencor’s plamotamab, it targets CD20, an antigen on B-cell tumors, alongside CD3, a receptor on T cells, but Xencor is not the only company to focus on these two components. The likes of Roche and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals are also convinced by their potential. However, Xencor’s approach to deliver this drug through subcutaneous injection sets it apart, therefore now giving J & J a fair chance to capitalize on its lucrative market prospects.
“The treatment landscape in B-cell lymphoma will potentially be redefined by CD20 x CD3 bispecific antibodies, such as plamotamab, and the best outcomes for patients will require creative combination approaches using complementary mechanisms of action,” Xencor President and CEO Bassil Dahiyat said.
