WuXi Biologics and its Chinese partner Harbin Gloria Pharmaceuticals, entered an agreement to license the anti-PD-1 antibody GLS-010 to Arcus Biosciences, a US-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of cancer immunotherapies. 
 
Gloria contracted WuXi Biologics to discover and develop GLS-010, a novel anti-PD-1 antibody, using Ligand’s transgenic rat platform OmniRat. GLS-010 is currently being evaluated in cancer patients in Phase I studies in China. Arcus has licensed the exclusive development and commercialization rights of GLS-010 in North America, Europe, Japan and certain other territories. 
 
Arcus plans on developing GLS-010 as a combination product with the other product candidates in its portfolio. Arcus will pay $18.5 million upfront, as well as development and regulatory milestones which could total as much as $422.5 million. WuXi Biologics and its partner Gloria, through an existing agreement will also receive commercial milestones of as much as $375 million. Arcus will also pay royalties on sales of GLS-010. 

In addition, WuXi Biologics and Arcus intend to enter into an exclusive three-year agreement for the development of Arcus’ biologics portfolio. WuXi Biologics will be the exclusive manufacturer for GLS-010 in the licensed territories for a specified period of time.
 
“We are pleased that our integrated platform has enabled companies such as Gloria to enter into biologics with an exciting program. We are also excited to enter into this agreement to expedite biologics development to treat patients globally,” commented Dr. Chris Chen, chief executive officer and executive director of WuXi Biologics. “This new partnership continues to reinforce the value of our integrated service platform, the global quality WuXi Biologics commits to, and the success of our ‘follow-the-molecule’ strategy. 

“We are thrilled to gain access to GLS-010 in our territories,” said Dr. Tim Sullivan, vice president of business development at Arcus. “This molecule will enable us to fully exploit the potential of our other immuno-oncology agents for the benefit of patients. Working with WuXi Biologics also ensures high-quality clinical supply of our biologics, an essential operational component of our strategy to develop a series of novel and best-in-class combination therapies for the treatment of cancer.”