Bristol-Myers Squibb licenses new research programme from Novo Nordisk

Bristol-Myers Squibb has signed a new agreement that will see it acquire an exclusive global licence to a discovery biologics research programme from Novo Nordisk.

Focused on modulating the innate immune system as a therapy for autoimmune diseases, the programme will bolster Bristol-Myers Squibb's immunoscience capabilities.

The innate immune system is the body’s first line of defence against pathogens, responding to exogenous agents in an antigen non-specific way to stimulate an immediate protective response.

Dysregulated innate immunity plays a critical role in the induction and pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, and it is this pathway that the new programme will target.

The company said: "The agreement supports Bristol-Myers Squibb's long-standing commitment to immunoscience, a core therapeutic area with multiple innovative drug candidates in development to target immune-mediated diseases with high unmet medical needs."

Earlier this month, the firm signed an exclusive agreement with Bavarian Nordic for Prostvac, a prostate-specific antigen-targeting cancer immunotherapy.