Genmab (GMAB) and AbbVie (ABBV) Announce Broad Oncology Collaboration, Genmab to Receive Upfront Payment of $750M With Total Potential Milestones of Up to $3.15B

Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) and AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) announced today that Genmab and AbbVie have signed a broad collaboration agreement to jointly develop and commercialize three of Genmab’s early-stage investigational bispecific antibody product candidates and enter into a discovery research collaboration for future differentiated antibody therapeutics for cancer. The companies will partner to develop Genmab’s next-generation bispecific antibody programs, epcoritamab (DuoBody®-CD3xCD20), DuoHexaBody®-CD37 and DuoBody-CD3x5T4. The collaboration combines Genmab’s world-class discovery and development engine and next-generation bispecific antibody therapeutic candidates with AbbVie’s deep clinical expertise, innovative antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform and global commercial leadership in hematological cancers.

The discovery research collaboration will combine proprietary antibodies from both companies along with Genmab’s DuoBody technology and AbbVie’s payload and ADC technology to select and develop up to four additional differentiated next-generation antibody-based product candidates, potentially across both solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Genmab’s DuoBody-CD3 technology engages and directs cytotoxic T cells selectively to tumors to elicit an immune response towards malignant tumor cells. AbbVie’s ADC technology allows the delivery of a therapeutic toxin directly to cancer cells while sparing normal, healthy cells, providing for a more targeted, less toxic treatment approach.

“This transformative collaboration will allow us to accelerate, broaden and maximize the development of some of our promising early-stage bispecific antibodies, including epcoritamab, with the ultimate goal of bringing these potential therapies much faster to cancer patients,” said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. “Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new journey for Genmab that combines our world-class knowledge in antibody biology and deep expertise in truly innovative next-generation antibody technology platforms, with AbbVie’s R&D prowess and their leadership position in hematological cancers.”

“Epcoritamab is a strong fit for our robust hematological oncology franchise”, said Michael Severino, M.D., Vice Chairman and President, AbbVie. “By combining the strengths of our two organizations, we can advance the treatment landscape for patients battling cancer.”

Collaboration DetailsThis collaboration will provide for the joint development and commercialization of the three bispecific antibody therapeutic candidates. For epcoritamab, the companies will share commercial responsibilities in the U.S. and Japan, with AbbVie responsible for further global commercialization. Genmab will book net sales in the U.S. and Japan and receive tiered royalties on remaining global sales. For DuoHexaBody-CD37, DuoBody-CD3x5T4 and any product candidates developed as a result of the companies’ discovery research collaboration, Genmab and AbbVie will share responsibilities for global development and commercialization in the U.S. and Japan. Genmab retains the right to co-commercialize these products, along with AbbVie, outside of the U.S. and Japan. For the discovery research partnership, Genmab will conduct Phase 1 studies for these programs. AbbVie retains the right to opt-in to program development.

Financial TermsUnder the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will pay Genmab USD 750 million in upfront payment with the potential for Genmab to receive up to USD 3.15 billion in additional development, regulatory and sales milestone payments for all programs as well as tiered royalties between 22% and 26% on net sales for epcoritamab outside the U.S. and Japan. Except for these royalty-bearing sales, the parties share in pre-tax profits from the sale of products on a 50:50 basis. Included in these potential milestones are up to USD 1.15 billion in payments related to clinical development and commercial success across the three existing bispecific antibody programs. In addition, if all four next-generation antibody product candidates developed as a result of the discovery research collaboration are successful, Genmab is eligible to receive up to USD 2.0 billion in option exercise and success-based milestone payments.

As a result of this agreement, Genmab is improving its financial guidance for 2020.

OUTLOOK

RevenueWe expect our 2020 revenue to be in the range of DKK 9,100 - DKK 9,500 million, an increase of DKK 4,350 million compared to our previous guidance. The increase is due to nearly 90% of the USD 750 million upfront payment from this agreement being recognized immediately with the remainder being recognized over a number of years. The other elements of our original revenue guidance remain unchanged and are primarily related to DARZALEX royalties of DKK 4,075 – 4,475 million. Such royalties are based on estimated DARZALEX net sales of USD 3.9 – 4.2 billion. We project cost reimbursement income of approximately DKK 475 million which is related to our collaborations with Seattle Genetics and BioNTech. The remainder of our revenue is approximately DKK 200 million and consists of milestones and other royalties.

Operating ExpensesWe anticipate our 2020 operating expenses will continue to be in the range of DKK 3,850 – 3,950 million. From the execution date of the agreement, our operating costs will include 50% of the costs for epcoritamab, DuoHexaBody-CD37 and DuoBody-CD3x5T4 and 100% of the costs for the discovery research collaboration. We expect that the reduction in our operating costs due to partner contribution to the existing clinical programs will be offset by increased investment to further expand and accelerate the partnership programs.

Operating ResultWe now expect our operating income to be approximately DKK 5,200 to DKK 5,600 million in 2020.

In addition to factors already mentioned, the estimates above are subject to change due to numerous reasons, including but not limited to the achievement of certain milestones associated with our collaboration agreements; the timing and variation of development activities (including activities carried out by our collaboration partners) and related income and costs; DARZALEX sales and corresponding royalties to Genmab; and currency exchange rates (the 2020 guidance assumes a USD/DKK exchange rate of 6.5). The financial guidance assumes that no significant new agreements are entered into during 2020 that could materially affect the results. Conference CallGenmab will hold a conference call in English to discuss this news today, Wednesday, June 10, 2020, at 6:00 AM CDT / 7:00 AM EDT / 1:00 PM CEST. The dial in numbers are:

+1 855 857 0686 (US participants) +44 3333000804 (international participants)

Confirmation code: 48035919

A live and archived webcast of the call and relevant slides will be available at www.genmab.com.

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