Complix Signs Global Drug Discovery and Development Agreement with Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical Co. to Develop Novel Alphabody Therapeutics for Treatment of CNS Diseases

HASSELT, Belgium, July 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Complix, a biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of transformative Alphabody therapeutics, today announced that it has signed a global collaboration and license agreement with Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical Co., one of China's leading CNS companies, to develop Cell Penetrating Alphabodies (CPABs), able to cross the blood-brain barrier, for the improved treatment of diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). This agreement is an important corporate milestone for Complix, as it seeks to apply its industry leading CPAB platform in yet another major disease area, beyond oncology, autoimmunity, and viral diseases.

Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical Co. (Nhwa) is a leading CNS company in China, which has developed an innovative and differentiated pipeline in the areas of anesthesia, analgesia, psychiatry, and neurology via both its own in-house R&D and global partnerships. Nhwa has more than 4000 employees, with capabilities in research, clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization of CNS drugs.

Complix and Nhwa will collaborate to develop novel biotherapeutics against two selected CNS targets. Complix will apply its proprietary CPAB technology, that enables biologics to traverse membrane systems and act with high affinity and precision on disease targets that are considered intractable by current drug formats. The novel compounds to be developed under this collaboration, will be designed to cross the blood-brain barrier to address important disease targets in the central nervous system.  

Under the terms of the agreement, Complix has granted an exclusive license to Nhwa to develop, manufacture and commercialize the CPABs resulting from this collaboration in Greater China. Both companies retain joint development and commercialization rights for these CPABs in the rest of the world.

Complix is entitled to upfront license payments and further milestone payments subject to the progress of clinical development and regulatory approval. Complix is also eligible for royalty payments based on the future commercial sales of the CPABs in China.

Mark Vaeck, CEO of Complix, said: 
"We are thrilled to announce this exciting collaboration with Nhwa. We are confident that the unique targeting capabilities of our CPABs will allow us to jointly develop novel biotherapeutics that will deliver improved treatment outcomes for patients suffering from severe neurological diseases. We believe that partnering with an innovative company like Nhwa, specialized in the area of CNS diseases, is substantially value creating, as it provides access to significant research and clinical development expertise in the CNS area, as well as a strong commercial platform in China. I am confident that together we can deliver on our ambitions to develop innovative and highly needed solutions for patients with severe neurological conditions".

Jiaquan Sun, CEO of Jiangsu Nhwa added:
"We are pleased to collaborate with Complix to gain access to its highly innovative CPAB platform as we look to further strengthen our position as a market leader in CNS therapies in China. We are looking forward to working with the team at Complix as we tap into their world leading intracellular targeting expertise to generate novel therapeutics that can cross the blood brain barrier to address major unmet medical needs that still exist in CNS disease area today''.

About Complix

Complix is a biopharmaceutical company using its industry leading Alphabody™ platform to develop a pipeline of transformative, "membrane crossing" therapeutics against a number of cutting-edge and challenging disease targets that play an important role in oncology, autoimmunity, CNS, and viral diseases. In addition to crossing cellular membranes, Alphabodies have the potential to cross the blood brain barrier, a critical limiting factor for other technologies aiming to address CNS disease targets.

Complix is developing Cell Penetrating Alphabodies (CPABs) that can address disease targets present in the cytosol or in the nucleus of human cells and that are considered "intractable" by current drug formats, such as antibodies or small chemicals. CPABs are also equipped with half-life extension motifs, so that they stay in circulation for sufficient time to ensure optimal biodistribution to reach the cells where their target is located.

As a pioneer in intracellular targeting, Complix aims to develop a pipeline of first-in-class therapeutics with the potential to cure severe diseases with high unmet medical need. The company has signed collaboration deals with I-Mab to develop novel cancer therapeutics and with Jiangsu Nhwa to develop CPABs for CNS disease.

Complix has established a strong intellectual property position protecting the Alphabody platform and its emerging product portfolio through the filing of multiple patent applications. The company is led by an experienced management team with a track record of success in the biotech industry and is backed by a syndicate of experienced life sciences investors from which it has raised close to US$ 40 million. 

About Jiangsu Nhwa

Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.  (SZ002262), founded in 1978, is a leading CNS company in China. Over the past 40 years, Nhwa has focused on developing an innovative and differentiated pipeline in the areas of anesthesia, analgesia, psychiatry, and neurology via its own in-house R&D and via global partnerships.

As a fully integrated pharmaceutical company, with more than 4000 employees, Nhwa has comprehensive capabilities in research, clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization of CNS drugs. In recent years, Nhwa has further strengthened its leadership in CNS field in China by providing precision diagnostic services for CNS disorders, as well as establishing the largest Chinese CNS internet health platform.

Contacts:
Dr. Mark Vaeck, CEO, Complix
Tel: +32 9 261 69 40
Email:  Mark.Vaeck@Complix.com

David Dible, Eleanor Perkin, MEDiSTRAVA Consulting
Tel: +44 20 7638 9571
Email: David.Dible@medistrava.com, Eleanor.Perkin@medistrava.com