As a part of the agreement, XOMA’s technology and process for the commercial manufacture of gevokizumab, XOMA’s novel interleukin 1-beta allosteric modulating antibody will be transferred to Boehringer.
After the completion of the transfer and the establishment of biological comparability, Boehringer will produce gevokizumab, which currently is in Phase 3 clinical development in patients with non-infectious uveitis.
XOMA chief executive officer John Varian said together with Servier, XOMA selected Boehringer Ingelheim because they are well recognized in manufacturing monoclonal antibodies at a commercial scale.
"Ultimately, we wanted a partner who could produce materials in both Europe and the U.S., and with Boehringer Ingelheim, we will have that capability," Varian added.
Under the agreement, Servier and XOMA retain all rights to the development and commercialization of gevokizumab. Financial terms of the agreement were not revealed.