Under the terms, Gilead is making a $60 million upfront payment to secure rights to MGD024, a bispecific in early clinical testing that was elevated into pole position in MacroGenics’ CD123xCD3 pipeline earlier this year after the biotech decided its profile was superior to former front-runner flotetuzumab which had reached phase 2.
MGD024is designed to reduce cytokine-release syndrome (CRS), a potentially life-threatening toxicity, with increased antitumor activity and a longer half-life to permit less frequent dosing.