Takeda exercises license option for Crescendo’s Humabodies

Takeda has the right to develop and commercialise Humabody-based therapeutics on the basis of its collaboration with Crescendo Biologics agreed in 2016. Now the firm has taken an exclusive license to Humabodies directed to one of its oncology targets. A Crescendo Biologics representative said the move to exercise this license option “comes substantially earlier than planned and marks the highly successful delivery and further preclinical evaluation by Takeda of Humabody leads meeting its stringent criteria”. Takeda’s Chris Arendt, Oncology Drug Discovery Unit & Immunology Unit, said: “Our decision to exercise the license was based on the quality of the Humabody leads and the potential we see to develop improved and differentiated immuno-oncology therapies.”
Crescendo’s CEO, Dr Peter Pack, said: “The team at Crescendo has made great progress on our Humabody programmes, working closely with the Takeda team. To date, we have met all the technical milestones on time or earlier than planned, which is proof of our excellent collaboration.” Crescendo will receive clinical development, regulatory and sales-based milestone payments of up to $754 million plus royalties on Humabody-based product sales by Takeda.