Novo Nordisk reaches IL-21 mAb licensing agreement with ZymoGenetics

Novo Nordisk revealed this week that it has come to a licensing arrangement with ZymoGenetics, which will see the former firm in-license a fully-human anti-IL21 monoclonal antibody developed by the latter company.

The agreement also covers the wide range of intellectual property rights covering IL-21 mAb and the development of other IL-21 antibodies.

IL-21 mAb is a pre-IND candidate for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases to which Novo Nordisk now has global rights.

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice-president and chief science officer of Novo Nordisk, said: “It was important for us to secure the worldwide rights to the IL-21 mAb project […] and we look forward to initiating a phase 1 trial with this IL-21 mAb in 2010.”

Last month, Novo Nordisk announced that it has pledged a total of three million euros (2.71 million pounds) over the next three years to the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes.