As per the agreement, Boehringer will provide all manufacturing and product supply from preclinical through Phase 1 development.
Xencor is responsible for preclinical and clinical studies and retains all development and commercial rights to products under the agreement.
Boehringer has certain manufacturing rights to supply clinical and commercial material to Xencor, upon successful advancement of clinical programs beyond Phase 1 development.
Xencor’s biosuperior compound is an anti-TNF antibody engineered using its Xtend antibody engineering technology for increasing antibody half-life.
Xencor expects to initiate a Phase 1 trial in 2013 potentially resulting in key human pharmacokinetic data validating Xtend technology.
Xencor president and CEO Bassil Dahiyat said Xencor and Boehringer will share the financial risk in early preclinical and clinical development with the incentive of sharing in future success of the programs.