Dren Bio Enters Into Strategic Collaboration With Sanofi For Discovery And Development Of Next-Gen B-Cell Depleting Therapy For Treatment Of Various Autoimmune Diseases

– New collaboration builds on Sanofi's prior acquisition of DR-0201 and further leverages Dren Bio's proprietary Targeted Myeloid Engager and Phagocytosis Platform to discover first-in-class multispecific antibody therapeutics –

– Dren Bio will receive an upfront cash payment of $100 million and is also eligible to receive up to $1.7 billion in future development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments –

– Dren Bio retains the option to co-fund future development in exchange for U.S. co-promotion rights with Sanofi, a 50/50 share of U.S. profits and losses, and milestones plus tiered royalties on ex-U.S. sales –

Dren Bio, a privately held, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class myeloid cell engager therapeutics, announced today that it has entered into a strategic collaboration with Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) for the discovery and development of a next-generation B-cell depleting therapy for the treatment of various autoimmune diseases.

The new agreement builds on the existing relationship between the two companies, following Sanofi's acquisition earlier this year of Dren Bio's DR-0201 program for deep B-cell depletion. DR-0201, now known as SAR448501, is currently being evaluated in two ongoing phase 1 studies and has shown robust B-cell depletion, with the potential to induce sustained treatment-free remission in patients with autoimmune diseases.