Sanofi and Dren Bio, Inc. have entered into a definitive agreement under which Sanofi has agreed to acquire DR-0201, a targeted bispecific myeloid cell engager (MCE) that has shown robust B-cell depletion in pre-clinical and early clinical studies.
DR-0201 is a potential first-in-class CD20-directed bispecific antibody that targets and engages specific tissue-resident and trafficking myeloid cells to induce deep B-cell depletion via targeted phagocytosis. Recent early clinical study data in autoimmune diseases suggest that deep B-cell depletion might have the potential to reset the adaptive immune system, leading to sustained treatment-free remission in patients with refractory B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as lupus, where significant unmet medical needs remain.
DR-0201 is the first bispecific antibody from Dren Bio’s targeted myeloid engager and phagocytosis platform, which acts by engaging tissue-resident and trafficking myeloid cells to induce deep B-cell depletion. DR-0201 is being evaluated in two ongoing phase 1 studies and has shown deep and robust B-cell depletion in non-clinical and clinical settings.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Sanofi will acquire DR-0201 through the acquisition of the Dren Bio affiliate Dren-0201 for an upfront payment of $600 million and potential future payments totaling $1.3 billion upon achievement of certain development and launch milestones.
After the acquisition of Dren-0201, Dren Bio will continue to operate independently to advance its pipeline of antibody therapeutics that selectively deplete pathogenic cells and other disease-causing agents.
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