SHANGHAI, Sept. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi Biologics (2269.HK, WuXi Bio), a leading global open-access biologics technology platform company offering end-to-end solutions for biologics discovery, development and manufacturing, and Inhibrx, Inc. (Inhibrx), a biopharmaceutical company developing a diverse pipeline of novel protein-based therapeutics, today announced that the companies have entered into an exclusive partnership for the GMP manufacturing of certain of Inhibrx's protein-based therapeutics. The agreement showcases the expansive biologics pipeline of Inhibrx and the world leading technical expertise and capabilities of WuXi Biologics.
Under the terms of the agreement, Inhibrx will subject to certain limitations, exclusively use WuXi Biologics for GMP manufacturing of its human biologic therapeutics for all projects to be initiated within next 3 years which Inhibrx plans to first initiate clinical trials outside of China.
"We have a very strong working relationship with WuXi Biologics. Over the last two years, WuXi Biologics has executed well on our programs and delivered excellent results, enabling GMP manufacturing of one biologic initiating a Phase 1 clinical study in October and four additional biologics for which IND submission is expected over the next year," said Mark Lappe, Chief Executive Officer of Inhibrx. "This partnership supports our immediate and long-term objectives in developing and commercializing our diverse pipeline. We look forward to working with WuXi Biologics to bring optimized therapeutics to underserved patient populations."
"We are excited about this exclusive partnership, one of the largest in the industry. WuXi Biologics has been well recognized as a global leader in the development and manufacturing of biologics and we are very excited about Inhibrx's large and diverse pipeline," said Dr. Chris Chen, Chief Executive Officer of WuXi Biologics. "This agreement exemplifies our unparalleled capacity in global biologics development and manufacturing. We are able to initiate 60 IND-enabling programs and 3 BLA-enabling programs per year, with support from one of the largest biologics development teams in the industry, composed of approximately 1,900 scientists. With globally recognized technical capabilities and unparalleled capacities, we are transforming how biologics are developed in the global setting."
About Inhibrx, Inc.
Inhibrx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a diverse pipeline of novel protein-based therapeutics for underserved patient populations. Inhibrx's novel single domain antibody (sdAb) platforms substantially improve upon conventional monoclonal antibody (mAb) and fusion protein approaches, enabling best in class therapeutics that address complex target biology beyond the capacity of conventional approaches. Inhibrx has collaborations with Celgene and the Alpha-1 Foundation, and has received awards from several granting agencies, including NIH, NIAID and CARB-X. For more information, please visit www.inhibrx.com.
About WuXi Biologics
WuXi Biologics, a Hong Kong-listed company, is the only open-access biologics technology platform in the world offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing. Our company history and achievements demonstrate our commitment to providing a truly ONE-stop service offering and value proposition to our global clients. As of June 30, 2018, there were a total of 187 integrated projects, including 98 projects in pre-clinical development stage, 78 projects in early-phase (phase I and II) clinical development, 10 projects in late-phase (phase III) development and 1 project in commercial manufacturing. With total estimated capacity of biopharmaceutical production planned in China, Ireland, Singapore and US reaching 220,000 liters by 2021, we will provide our biomanufacturing partners with a robust and premier-quality global supply chain network. For more information on WuXi Biologics, please visit www.wuxibiologics.com.