Sanofi and BioNTech announced that they have entered into a
multiyear exclusive collaboration and license agreement. This research
collaboration between Sanofi and BioNTech will leverage the scientific
expertise of the two organizations to discover and develop up to five
cancer immunotherapies, each consisting of a mixture of synthetic
messenger RNAs (mRNAs).
Sanofi and
BioNTech have agreed to $60 million in upfront and near-term milestone
payments, payable to BioNTech under the terms of the agreement. Further,
BioNTech could receive over $300 million in development, regulatory and
commercial milestones and other payments per product. If commercialized
successfully, BioNTech would also be eligible for tiered royalties on
net sales up to double digits. In addition, BioNTech has the option to
co-develop and co-commercialize two of the five mRNA therapeutics
products with Sanofi in the European Union and the United States.
Complementing
Sanofi's global oncology footprint and scientific expertise, BioNTech
will combine the use of its proprietary mRNA technology platform with
its extensive capabilities in developing immune-stimulating
pharmaceuticals. As part of this effort, BioNTech will utilize its mRNA
formulation technology, which enables targeted mRNA delivery in vivo, to
generate novel cancer immunotherapies. BioNTech will also supply part
of the mRNA material needed for development activities from its in-house
GMP manufacturing unit.
