Clinical development of Nanobody to start in osteoarthritis

Preparation of a pre-clinical package for a novel Nanobody (ALX-1141) in osteoarthritis has been completed by Ablynx and accepted by Merck as a part of the ongoing collaboration between the two companies.

Additionally, this programme has triggered a €15 million milestone payment to Ablynx from Merck and will now see the latter be responsible for further clinical development of the molecule.

“Obtaining pre-clinical proof-of-concept was an important milestone in this collaboration. Our partner Merck has a great deal of experience in osteoarthritis and we are very pleased with their decision to advance this molecule into clinical development,” explained Dr Edwin Moses, CEO of Ablynx. “With no disease-modifying drugs currently approved for osteoarthritis, there is a huge unmet need for new treatments. This Nanobody has the potential to become a first-in-class treatment option for patients suffering from this degenerative joint disease.”

Ablynx is a biopharmaceutical company that develops Nanobodies, therapeutic proteins based on single-domain antibody fragments.