BioInvent International AB has entered a production agreement with Cancer Research UK, an independent funder of cancer research, for the production of Hummingbird Bioscience’s anti-HER3 antibody drug HMBD-001 for use within a clinical partnership formed between Cancer Research UK and Hummingbird Bioscience to test the agent in a phase I trial.
 
Under the agreement, which is expected to generate revenue of approximately SEK 30 million (~$3 million), mostly in 2020, BioInvent will provide HMBD-001 to Cancer Research UK. It includes process, analytical and formulation development, process scale up and manufacturing of toxicology and clinical grade material in 200- and 1,000-liters scale.
 
“We are very pleased to have concluded an agreement to provide this service to Cancer Research UK and are looking forward to producing Hummingbird’s drug candidate for clinical trials,” said Martin Welschof, chief executive officer, BioInvent. “The fact that BioInvent has its own production facility gives us added flexibility, meaning we can develop our proprietary immuno-oncology programs more efficiently, and also generate revenue from our services to help fund our pipeline.”
 
Nigel Blackburn, Cancer Research UK’s director of drug development, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with BioInvent who will produce Hummingbird Bioscience’s anti-HER3 antibody, ready to be tested in clinical trials. Our clinical development partnerships fast track promising new treatments like this through one of the most difficult stages of drug development, benefitting people with cancer much sooner.”
 
Cancer Research UK’s Center for Drug Development entered into a partnership with Hummingbird Bioscience to manufacture clinical grade anti-HER3 antibody and conduct a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate drug safety, toxicity and efficacy. HMBD-001 is the only anti-HER3 antibody in development that binds to the most critical region involved in HER3 activation, turning off this signal completely. If successful, this new antibody could be used in the treatment of multiple cancers and be effective against drug resistant cancers.
 
The BioInvent manufacturing facility is compliant with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations and is fully based on disposable technology and can produce batches in sizes from 40 L to 1,000 L. The platform process ensures rapid and efficient process development and spans everything from cell line development to final release of drug substance for clinical trials. BioInvent offers a range of cell line development options that include a royalty free GS knocked CHO K1 cell line.