Kyorin Pharmaceutical has strengthened its autoimmune portfolio by paying $10 million upfront for the Japanese rights to Hinge Bio’s preclinical lupus drug.
The therapy, dubbed HB2198, targets both CD19 and CD20 for B-cell depletion. California-based Hinge produced the drug using its GEM-DIMER multivalent antibody platform and is planning to take the candidate into the clinic this year.
Hinge unveiled preclinical data last year that the biotech said demonstrated “deeper and more rapid B cell depletion than has been reported for other antibody-based therapies.” The idea is to “reset” the immune system “with the convenience, accessibility, cost and safety benefits of an off-the-shelf antibody-based therapeutic,” Hinge explained in a Sept. 30 release.
In return for the rights in its home territory of Japan, Kyorin is handing over $10 million now, with up to $95 million in milestone payments tied to HB2198’s development as a treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus. Kyorin also outlined plans to investigate HB2198 in other autoimmune conditions, which would trigger additional payments.
As well as funding development, regulatory, marketing and commercialization activities in Japan, yesterday’s deal means Kyorin will also make a contribution toward HB2198’s global development, according to the release.
Kyorin’s pipeline includes a phase 3-stage pulmonary sarcoidosis drug licensed from aTyr pharma, as well as phase 1-stage beta 3 adrenergic receptor agonist for overactive bladder that comes from Merck & Co. Back in December 2024, the company handed over 15 million euros ($17.6 million) for the worldwide rights to Bayer’s ADRA2C antagonist, which had completed a phase 1 trial for sleep apnea.
Kyorin has also attracted interest from European pharmas for its own drugs, with Novartis licensing the biotech’s MRGPRX2 antagonist for allergic and inflammatory diseases in a $55 million upfront deal in March.
“Our company is focused on autoimmune disorders as one of our key strategic therapeutic areas for research and development,” Kyorin’s CEO Yutaka Ogihara said in the release. “We anticipate that this innovative treatment candidate, developed through our collaboration with Hinge Bio, will offer a new therapeutic option for patients suffering from autoimmune disorders.”