Catalent and Sanofi to Collaborate on SMARTag Antibody-Drug Conjugate Technology with Sanofi's Proprietary Antibodies

Catalent Pharma Solutions has entered into a collaboration with Sanofi-Aventis Recherche & Développement, a Sanofi Company to implement Catalent’s proprietary SMARTag technology in the development of next generation Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs). Under the agreement, Catalent will develop site-specifically modified antibody conjugates using Sanofi’s proprietary antibodies. Catalent’s precision protein-chemical engineering approach will enable Sanofi to evaluate site selective payload conjugation in order to enhance ADC pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety.

The collaborative work will involve teams at Sanofi, and Catalent’s facility, in Emeryville, CA, which was formerly headquarters to Redwood Bioscience Inc. Catalent announced in October 2014 that it had purchased the remaining stake in Redwood, following the successful achievement of in vivo and in vitro proof of concept milestones, recent compelling in vivo toxicology data, and strong customer interest in the SMARTag technology.

“We are pleased to enter this agreement with Sanofi as we jointly work toward the goal of creating better drugs to meet patient needs,” commented Barry Littlejohns, Catalent’s President of Advanced Delivery Technologies. “Through in vivo toxicology studies, we have demonstrated that ADCs generated using Catalent’s SMARTag platform have a better toxicity profile than a conventional ADC, while efficacy studies also point to an improved therapeutic index. We look forward to partnering with Sanofi to support the development of their next generation of ADC products.”