AstraZeneca joins CAT in Mab alliance

AstraZeneca is to take a 19.9% equity stake in UK biotech company, Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT). The alliance will be in the discovery and development of human monoclonal antibody therapeutics, principally in the field of inflammatory disorders, and will be co-funded and managed by the partners. It will include a five-year, $175m discovery initiation phase during which the partners will initiate at least 25 discovery programmes. CAT will contribute the greater part of the resource in this phase and expects to commit 100-150 scientists a year to the programme at its peak.

Following the completion of the discovery phase, the parties may continue funding programmes into development. If both parties agree, the programme will be jointly funded until clinical proof of concept (CPC - end of Phase IIb trials). In addition, CAT has the option to continue to fund jointly the development of one in every five products that reach CPC up to product launch. Various milestones and royalty payments have been agreed.

CAT will be mainly responsible for antibody discovery, manufacturing process development and the supply of material for exploratory clinical trials. AstraZeneca will be responsible for translational biology, clinical development programmes, regulatory filings and commercialisation.

Peter Chambre, ceo of CAT, said: 'This alliance enables CAT to deploy its full range of capabilities and expertise in the early stages of product development, and will allow us to enhance our capabilities in the later stages and, for the first time, potentially participate in product commercialisation. It is an important opportunity for us to make a significant advance in our transition to a product-based biopharmaceutical company.'