JAPAN TOBACCO, MEDIMMUNE ENTER LICENSE AGREEMENT

MedImmune has announced it intends to develop a monoclonal antibody (MAb) targeting pathways within the CD28 receptor family for treatment of certain inflammatory diseases under a recently signed license agreement with Japan Tobacco (JT). MedImmune's initial efforts will focus on developing the current lead antibody, which aims to inhibit a receptor believed to play a key role in controlling adaptive immune responses, called inducible-costimulator (ICOS), and thereby regulate T-cell dependent activation of B-cells. Inappropriate activation of T-cells resulting in B-cell activation is implicated in a variety of autoimmune disorders.

Under the terms of the agreement, JT will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, milestone payments and royalties on any future marketed products. JT retains exclusive development and marketing rights for the current lead antibody in Japan. MedImmune has exclusive development and marketing rights to this antibody for the rest of world and certain rights worldwide for other antibodies developed as a result of the agreement.

Preclinical study results indicate that ICOS is only expressed on a subset of T-cells and is essential for T-cell dependent B-cell activation. In addition, ICOS is required for IL-17 secretion from activated T-cells. IL-17 is a T-cell derived cytokine that is implicated in the development of various inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. In preclinical studies, ICOS-inhibition with MAbs was shown to be effective in models of rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis and lupus.