KIRIN AND CORIXA ANNOUNCE RESEARCH ALLIANCE TO DEVELOP HUMAN ANTIBODY THERAPEUTICS
Tokyo, Japan, June 22, 2001 -, Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. and Corixa Corporation (Nasdaq: CRXA) today announced an agreement to discover and develop fully human antibody therapeutics. Kirin will provide Corixa its TC Mouse™ technology, including the KM Mouse™ which was co-developed by Kirin and Medarex, Inc., to create human antibodies to multiple target antigens from Corixa’s extensive library of autoimmune disease, cancer and infectious disease antigens.
Under the terms of the agreement, Corixa has option rights to exclusively develop and commercialize human antibody products created using the TC Mouse™ technology. In return, Kirin will receive certain license fees and milestone payments as well as royalties on commercial sales of antibody products from Corixa. Kirin also retains a first negotiation right to develop and commercialize Corixa’s antibody products from this alliance in Asia.
Kirin’s TC Mouse™ technology is a transchromosomic mouse system that uses transferred human chromosome fragments carrying 100% of the variable and constant region sequences found in the natural human immunoglobulin gene sequences. Kirin’s TC Mouse™ technology has also been distributed to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including Novo Nordisk, Schering-Plough, and ZymoGgenetics, and NovImmune through its strategic partner, Medarex.
"We are very excited by this opportunity to provide our TC Mouse™ technology to Corixa. This partnership is an indication of Kirin’s superior human antibody technology. With this partnership, we will be able to expand our activities in the field of fully human antibody business," said Katsuhiko Asano, Ph.D., President of Kirin’s Pharmaceutical Division.
"Our collaboration with Kirin represents another opportunity for Corixa to extend the reach of our expansive technology base," said Steven Gillis, Ph.D., chairman and chief executive officer at Corixa. "This partnership expands our ability to generate human antibodies, speeding up the development of new product candidates Powered by Corixa™."
About Kirin
Kirin is Japan’s foremost beer producer which ranks eighth largest in the world by sales volume. Its pharmaceutical division is applying its knowledge of biotechnology to the development of advanced pharmaceutical products in the fields of renal disorders, cancer and hematological diseases, and immunological and allergy-related diseases. Kirin’s recombinant DNA- based ESPO® (erythropoietin) and GRAN® (G-CSF), co-developed with Amgen, have annual sales exceeding $400 million in Asia. Kirin’s pharmaceutical division is now enhancing its activities in the field of human antibody and cell therapy. Kirin has developed the original TC Mouse™ technology for fully human antibody development. Kirin has also assembled a broad platform of patented technologies for fully human antibody development with a strategic alliance with Medarex, Inc, including Medarex's HuMAb Mouse technology. Kirin creates and develops fully human antibodies for itself and offers its customers, offering TC Mouse™, HuMAb Mouse and KM Mouse™ technology.
About Corixa
Corixa is a developer of immunotherapeutics with a commitment to treating and preventing autoimmune diseases, cancer and infectious diseases by understanding and directing the immune system. Corixa is focused on immunotherapeutic products and has a broad technology platform enabling both fully integrated vaccine design and the use of its separate, proprietary product components on a standalone basis. Corixa currently has 16 programs in clinical development and 22 programs in preclinical development, including its most advanced product candidate, Bexxar™, a monoclonal antibody conjugated to a radioisotope.
The company partners with numerous developers and marketers of pharmaceuticals, targeting products that are Powered by Corixa™ technology with the goal of making its potential products available to patients around the world. Corixa was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Seattle, Wash., with additional operations in Hamilton, Montana and Redwood City, California and South San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit Corixa's website at http://www.corixa.com.
Certain statements in this press release consist of forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, uncertainties regarding the development of new technology and new clinical products. Actual results, events or performance may differ materially.
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