Exhibit 99.1
Catalyst Biosciences Announces Global License and Collaboration Agreement to Develop Pegylated CB
2782 for the Treatment of DryAge-Related Macular Degeneration
Catalyst to receive $15 million upfront and is eligible to receive an additional $340 million in milestones
and tiered royalties up to low double digits
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – December 19, 2019 – Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBIO), today announced it has entered into a global license and collaboration agreement with Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) for the development and commercialization of pegylated CB 2782 (CB2782-PEG) for the potential treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) associated dryage-related macular degeneration (dry AMD).
Under the terms of the agreement, Biogen will receive an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize CB2782-PEG and Catalyst’s otheranti-C3 proteases for the potential treatment of dry AMD. Catalyst will performpre-clinical and manufacturing activities and Biogen will be solely responsible for funding thepre-clinical and manufacturing activities and performing Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling activities, worldwide clinical development, and commercialization.
Catalyst will receive a $15 million upfront payment and is eligible to receive up to $340 million in clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments plus future tiered royalties based on net sales.
“We believe Biogen is an excellent collaborator for ouranti-C3 ophthalmology program,” said Nassim Usman, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Catalyst. “Geographic atrophy, an advanced form of dry AMD, can have a devastating impact on vision, affects over a million people in the United States and is a significant market opportunity with no approved therapies. CB2782-PEG could offer clinically meaningful efficacy through prolonged and complete suppression of C3, a clinically validated target in GA.”
Catalyst presented preclinical data on CB2782-PEG at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Vancouver, British Columbia. The comprehensive study demonstrated CB 2782-PEG’s potential for efficacy and improved convenience. Key highlights included an increase in CB 2782’s ocular half-life following PEGylation without compromising activity. Importantly, a single intravitreal injection of 125 µg CB2782-PEG innon-human primates eliminated greater than 99% of the C3 from the vitreous humor for at least 28 days. This pharmacodynamic profile predicts a competitive human intravitreal dosing only three or four times a year. ARVO presentation materials can be accessed on theEvents and Presentations section of the Catalyst website.
About Catalyst Biosciences
Catalyst is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for hemophilia and other rare bleeding disorders. Our engineered coagulation factors are designed to overcome the significant limitations of current IV treatment options, facilitate prophylaxis, and ultimately deliver substantially better outcomes for patients using SQ dosing. Our lead asset, MarzAA, has completed Phase 2 development having met its primary endpoint of significantly reducing the annualized bleed rate (ABR) in individuals with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors. Our second asset, DalcA, is in a Phase 2b clinical trial and is being developed for the treatment of hemophilia B. For more information, please visitwww.catalystbiosciences.com.
