Antengene Corporation Limited

• Antengene grants UCB worldwide exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize ATG-201, a CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager (TCE) antibody, targeting B cell-related autoimmune diseases.
• Antengene will receive USD 80 million of upfront and near-term milestone payments, and is eligible to receive more than USD 1.1 billion in success-based development, regulatory and sales milestones, along with tiered royalties on future net sales.
• Deal underscores AnTenGager^™ platform's unique capabilities in developing next-generation novel TCEs with broad applicability. Following this collaboration, 9 disclosed products remain in the R&D pipeline under the AnTenGager^™ platform.
• Antengene to host conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. HKT (Chinese session) and 10:00 p.m. HKT (English session) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

HONG KONG and BRUSSELS, March 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Antengene Corporation Limited (Antengene), a leading innovative, commercial-stage global biotech company, and UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced that they have entered into an agreement that grants UCB a worldwide exclusive license to further develop, manufacture and commercialize ATG-201 and access to its associated manufacturing technology in relation to ATG-201.

T-cell engager's (TCE's) targeting B cell depletion, are a class of therapeutic agents designed to selectively target and eliminate B cells, which play a role in various diseases, including autoimmune disorders and certain haematological cancers. Specifically, 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.

Antengene plans to submit clinical trial applications for ATG‑201 in China and Australia in the first quarter of 2026. Antengene will complete first-in-human phase 1 studies in these two jurisdictions, and thereafter transfer further ATG-201 clinical and other development to UCB.

"We are delighted to partner with UCB, combining our innovative discovery platform and clinical execution capabilities with their deep expertise and experience in immunology to accelerate ATG-201's development efficiently and on a global scale," said Dr. Jay Mei, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Antengene. "ATG-201, specifically designed for autoimmune diseases, incorporates bivalent CD19 binding, steric hindrance-based masking technology and proprietary CD3 sequence, a strategy designed to enable effective B cell depletion and reduce the risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS). This collaboration further underscores AnTenGager^™ platform's unique capability in developing next generation novel TCEs with broad applicability in different therapeutic areas."

Antengene's AnTenGager^™ platform offers a differentiated T-cell engager approach, where binding of the TCE arm (CD3) is sterically masked in the absence of target antigen binding providing potent activity and better tolerability.

"UCB is excited to partner with Antengene on ATG-201, a novel B cell-depleting immune cell engager designed to provide a targeted, durable, and scalable treatment option for immunological diseases and a potential disruptive therapeutic modality," said Alistair Henry, Chief Scientific Officer, UCB. He added, "Access to Antengene's cutting-edge T-cell engager platform technology enhances our ambition to lead in immunology. It complements our expertise in monoclonal antibodies and novel biologics, demonstrates our inorganic innovation strategy in action, and brings transformational new capabilities that propel UCB into the advancing field of bispecific T-cell engagers."   

"AnTenGager^™ TCEs activates T cells in a disease-associated antigen (DAA)-gated manner due to the steric hindrance-based masking. This feature, together with our proprietary fast-on-fast-off CD3 binder, not only reduces the risk of CRS, but also reduced T cell exhaustion," said Dr. Bing Hou, Vice president, Head of Discovery Science and Translational Medicine. "Antengene is developing multiple first-in-class TCEs not only for autoimmune diseases, but also for the treatment of solid tumors and haematological malignancies."

In return of the license rights granted to UCB, Antengene will receive an upfront and near term milestone payment of USD 80 million (comprised of an initial upfront payment of USD 60 million and additional near-term milestone payments of USD 20 million upon satisfaction of certain conditions) and would be eligible to receive future success-based development and commercial milestone payments of over USD 1.1 billion, as well as tiered royalties on future net sales. Further financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

Antengene will host conference call and webcast at 9:00 a.m. HKT (Chinese session) and 10:00 p.m. HKT (English session) on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Details of the conference call dial-in and the webcast link will be provided on the company website at https://www.antengene.com/investor

Forward-looking statements

Please refer https://www.antengene.com/newsinfo/442  

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 

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- XPOVIO^® is the first XPO1 inhibitor approved for reimbursement by South Korea's National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma (MM).

- In South Korea, XPOVIO^® has been approved for three indications across MM and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and two of these approved indications have been included in the national reimbursement scheme.

SHANGHAI and HONG KONG, March 2, 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 disease, solid tumors and hematological malignancies indications, announced that South Korea's National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) has approved the reimbursement of XPOVIO^® (selinexor) in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with multiple myeloma (MM) after one prior therapy. The reimbursement has taken effect on March 1, 2026. This marks the second XPOVIO^® indication to be approved for reimbursement in South Korea.

As Antengene continues to expand its footprint across the Asia Pacific region, the Company remains committed to improving patient access to its innovative therapies. To date, XPOVIO^® has been approved in South Korea for three indications in MM and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), both major hematological malignancies. Two of these indications have been approved for reimbursement, including XPOVIO^® in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory MM (R/R MM) who have received at least four prior therapies, as well as the newly reimbursed indication. With expanded reimbursement coverage, XPOVIO^® is expected to benefit a broader patient population and further contribute to the management of hematological malignancies in South Korea.

With a novel mechanism of action, XPOVIO^® is the world's first approved orally-available, selective XPO1 inhibitor. XPOVIO^® has already been approved in ten countries and regions in APAC, and has been included in the national insurance schemes in five of these markets (the mainland of China, Taiwan market, Australia, Singapore and South Korea). Moving forward, Antengene will continue to pursue broader access for XPOVIO^® across APAC markets.

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 and includes several in-house discovered programs, including ATG-022 (CLDN18.2 ADC), ATG-037 (oral CD73 inhibitor), ATG-101 (PD-L1 × 4-1BB bispecific antibody), and ATG-042 (oral PRMT5-MTA inhibitor).

Antengene has also developed AnTenGager™, a proprietary T cell engager 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), CDH6 x CD3 (ATG-106 for ovarian cancer and kidney cancer), ALPPL2 x CD3 (ATG-112 for gynecologic tumors and non-small cell lung cancer), 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 32 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, 2024, 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

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SOURCE Antengene Corporation Limited