Sanofi and Ablynx to develop new inflammatory disease therapies

Sanofi has announced a new drug research collaboration with Ablynx in the field of inflammatory disease.

The research collaboration and global exclusive licensing agreement will see the companies working together to develop and commercialise Nanobody-based therapeutics for the treatment of various immune-mediated inflammatory conditions.

Nanobodies are a form of proprietary therapeutic protein developed by Ablynx based on single-domain antibody fragments, combining the advantages of conventional antibody drugs with features of small-molecule therapies.

This collaboration gives Sanofi access to certain Nanobodies in Ablynx's existing portfolio, as well as to Ablynx's scientific expertise and proprietary Nanobody platform. In return, Ablynx will be eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments of up to 2.4 billion euros (2.13 billion pounds).

Dr Frank Nestle, Sanofi's global head of immunology and chief scientific officer in North America, said: "This collaboration is the latest example of Sanofi's strategic commitment to expand our drug discovery pipeline in immunology at a time when we are launching new treatments for atopic dermatitis and rheumatoid arthritis."

This comes after Sanofi agreed to purchase the vaccine biotech firm Protein Sciences earlier this month.

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