Sanofi has agreed to acquire DR-0201, a targeted bispecific myeloid cell engager (MCE) that has shown robust B-cell depletion in pre-clinical and early clinical studies, from Dren Bio Inc. for $600 million upfront.

DR-0201 is a potential first-in-class CD20-directed bispecific antibody that targets and engages specific tissue-resident and trafficking myeloid cells to induce deep B-cell depletion via targeted phagocytosis. Recent early clinical study data in autoimmune diseases suggest that deep B-cell depletion might have the potential to reset the adaptive immune system, leading to sustained treatment-free remission in patients with refractory B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as lupus, where significant unmet medical needs remain.

Houman Ashrafian, Head of Research and Development, Sanofi, said: “Deep B-cell depletion is at the frontier of treating autoimmune diseases and using the myeloid cell engager DR-0201 has the potential to elevate the treatment effect for patients, in particular patients refractory to existing treatments. This is yet another important step in Sanofi’s ambition to bring breakthrough medicines to patients, and further strengthens our robust pipeline focused on the immune system. Through our own research and strategic licensing and acquisitions, we continue to advance our goal of becoming the leader in immunology.”

Nenad Tomasevic, Co-founder and CEO, Dren Bio, said: “It has been a privilege to advance our lead platform program, DR-0201, into clinical development and evaluate its potential to achieve potent B-cell depletion. As a leader in immunology, Sanofi is ideally positioned to unlock the power of deep B-cell depletion and immune reset for autoimmune patients with this novel myeloid cell engager.”