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SHANGHAI and HONG KONG, July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Antengene Corporation Limited ("Antengene", SEHK: 6996.HK), a leading innovative, commercial-stage global biotech company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class and/or best-in-class medicines for autoimmune diseases, solid tumors and hematological malignancies, today announced that the company has received a USD 60 million upfront payment from UCB. This payment is made pursuant to the worldwide exclusive license agreement for ATG-201, a CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager (TCE) antibody, entered into between the parties in March 2026.
ATG-201 is a CD19 targeting bispecific TCE incorporating steric hindrance masking technology, designed to eliminate CD19-expressing B cells. This bispecific interaction with T and B cells through CD3 and CD19 has demonstrated potential in treating B cell-driven diseases by leveraging the body's own immune system for precise and potent action.
Under the agreement, Antengene grants UCB a worldwide exclusive license to further develop, manufacture, and commercialize ATG-201, along with access to its associated manufacturing technology.
China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved in June this year the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the Phase I ATTRACT study of ATG-201 for the treatment of B cell related autoimmune diseases. Antengene is progressing the Phase I study of ATG-201 in China and concurrently preparing for its clinical development in Australia.
The receipt of the upfront payment from this license agreement with UCB has further strengthened Antengene's cash position, providing robust financial support for the advancement of our innovative drug pipeline and accelerating benefits to more patients.
Under the terms of the global exclusive license agreement Antengene is eligible for additional near-term milestone payments of USD 20 million subject to certain conditions. The agreement also includes the potential for future success-based development and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on future net sales.
About Antengene
Antengene Corporation Limited ("Antengene", SEHK: 6996.HK) is a global, R&D-driven, commercial-stage biotech company focused on developing first-in-class/best-in-class therapeutics for diseases with significant unmet medical needs. Its pipeline spans from preclinical to commercial stages, with key investigational candidates including ATG-022 (CLDN18.2 ADC), ATG-037 (oral CD73 inhibitor), ATG-101 (PD-L1 x 4-1BB bispecific antibody), ATG-125 (B7-H3 × PD-L1 bispecific ADC), ATG-207 (αCD3-TGF-β bifunctional fusion protein), as well as T cell engager (TCE) programs developed using Antengene's proprietary AnTenGager® platform.
AnTenGager®, is Antengene's proprietary TCE 2.0 platform, featuring "2+1" bivalent binding for low expressing targets, steric hindrance masking, and proprietary CD3 sequences with fast on/off kinetics to minimize cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and enhance efficacy. These characteristics support the platform's broad applicability across autoimmune disease, solid tumors and hematological malignancies, with programs targeting CD19 x CD3 (ATG-201 for B cell-related autoimmune diseases; partnered with UCB), CDH6 x CD3 (ATG-106 for ovarian cancer and kidney cancer), ALPPL2 x CD3 (ATG-112 for gynecological tumors, digestive system malignancies, bladder cancer and NSCLC), LY6G6D x CD3 (ATG-110 for microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer), GPRC5D x CD3 (ATG-021 for multiple myeloma), LILRB4 x CD3 (ATG-102 for acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia) and FLT3 x CD3 (ATG-107 for acute myeloid leukemia).
To date, Antengene has obtained 33 investigational new drug (IND) approvals in the U.S. and Asia, and obtained new drug application (NDA) approvals in 10 Asia Pacific markets. Its lead commercial asset, XPOVIO® (selinexor), is approved in the Mainland of China, Taiwan China, Hong Kong China, Macau China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia, and has been included in the national insurance schemes in five of these markets (Mainland of China, Taiwan China, Australia, South Korea and Singapore).
Forward-looking statements
The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only to the events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or references to, our intentions or those of any of our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this article. Any of these intentions may alter in light of future development. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could cause future results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement, please see the other risks and uncertainties described in the Company's Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2025, and the documents subsequently submitted to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
For more information, please contact:
Investor Contacts:
Donald Lung
E-mail: donald.lung@antengene.com
BD Contacts:
Ariel Guo
E-mail: ariel.guo@antengene.com