BioWa Licenses Anti-FGF8 Antibody for Potential Cancer Treatment

BioWa, Inc. has secured worldwide rights, excluding Asia, to develop and commercialize a monoclonal antibody targeting fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8), a potential new treatment for breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. This agreement grants Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd., BioWa's parent company, an option to develop and commercialize the product in Asia. As a result, BioWa retains exclusive rights to the product in non-Asia countries. This addition brings the total number of preclinical-stage products in BioWa's pipeline to two, with both products being investigated across various indications.

Key Takeaways:

• BioWa has licensed the exclusive worldwide rights (excluding Asia) to develop and commercialize the Anti-FGF8 monoclonal antibody from Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd.
• The agreement grants Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. an option to develop and commercialize the product in Asia, while BioWa retains exclusive rights to the product in non-Asia countries.
• FGF8 has been implicated as a negative player in cancer and has been over-expressed in prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers.
• Various cell and animal models support the role of FGF8 in oncogenesis and tumor cell survival, making it a viable target for cancer treatment.
• The Anti-FGF8 antibody is currently in preclinical development, with the potential to address significant unmet needs in prostate cancer, advanced breast cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• BioWa is committed to building a strong antibody pipeline with products of large market value.

Statistics:

• 2 preclinical-stage products are currently in BioWa's pipeline.
• The worldwide market potential of Anti-FGF8 in cancer is large, particularly in prostate cancer, breast cancer, and rheumatoid arthritis.