BioInvent International AB, a biotechnology company focused on first-in-class immune-modulatory antibodies for cancer, and CASI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a U.S. biopharmaceutical company with an established clinical development and commercial infrastructure in China, have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of novel anti-FcγRIIB antibody, BI-1206, in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

BioInvent and CASI will develop BI-1206 in both liquid and solid cancers, with CASI responsible for commercialization in China and associated markets. BioInvent will receive a $5 million upfront payment and is eligible to receive up to $83 million in development and commercial milestone payments plus tiered royalties in the high-single to mid-double-digit range on net sales of BI-1206.

As part of the upfront payment, CASI will also make a $7 million investment in new shares in BioInvent.

BI-1206 has a novel mode-of-action, blocking the single inhibitory antibody checkpoint receptor FcγRIIB to unlock anti-cancer immunity in both liquid and solid tumors. BI-1206 is BioInvent’s lead drug candidate and is being investigated in a Phase I/II trial, in combination with anti-PD1 therapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab), in solid tumors, and in a Phase I/IIa trial in combination with MabThera (rituximab) for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).