ABL Bio "Immuno-oncology Drug ABL503, Eurasia Patent Registration Completed"

ABL Bio announced on the 10th that it has completed the registration of a patent for its immuno-oncology drug ABL503 ('Anti-PD-L1/Anti-4-1BB Bispecific Antibody and Its Uses') in Eurasia, consisting of eight countries including Russia.

ABL Bio CI. [Image provided by ABL Bio]

The rights to this patent are guaranteed until 2039. The patent has been registered in Chile, South Africa, Japan, and the Eurasian region, and ABL Bio explained that registration is also pending in more than 20 other regions including the United States, China, and Europe. The company added that this patent registration process recognizes their technological superiority and secures rights for global market entry.

ABL503 is a candidate drug that simultaneously targets PD-L1 and 4-1BB, and despite being in Phase 1 clinical trials, ABL Bio reported that one complete response (CR) and three partial responses (PR) have been confirmed in patients with solid tumors.

Currently, global biotech companies such as Genmab are developing PD-L1x4-1BB bispecific antibodies. ABL Bio’s ABL503 applies its proprietary Grabody-T platform technology optimized for epitope binding to activate 4-1BB. ABL Bio explained that ABL503 shows safety even at doses higher than Genmab’s Phase 1/2 effective dose of 100 mg, making it advantageous for determining the optimal dose for Phase 2 clinical trials.

ABL503 was developed to overcome the limitation of existing PD-(L)1-based immuno-oncology drugs like the blockbuster Keytruda, which are effective in only 20% of all patients, by simultaneously targeting PD-L1 and 4-1BB to achieve superior efficacy and safety. Additionally, it maintains the advantage of treating various cancer types while minimizing toxic side effects and providing long-term relapse prevention anticancer effects.

Meanwhile, the Phase 1 clinical trial of ABL503, co-developed with Nasdaq-listed iMab, is currently conducting dose escalation and dose expansion parts in the United States and Korea. The trial aims to secure safety data for monotherapy and determine the recommended dose and optimal target cancer types for Phase 2 clinical trials.

Lee Sang-hoon, CEO of ABL Bio, said, "Rapid patent registration will make global expansion easier," and added, "Starting with the presentation of interim data from the Phase 1 clinical trial of the 4-1BB-based bispecific antibody immuno-oncology drug ABL111 at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference this October, the value of our immuno-oncology pipeline will be recognized and highlighted."