BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

J&J acquires antibody play Covagen

August 26, 2014 12:36 AM UTC

The Cilag GmbH International subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) acquired mAb platform company Covagen AG (Zurich, Switzerland) for an undisclosed amount. Covagen is developing a pipeline of products using its FynomAb engineering technology, which fuses antibodies to Fynomers. Fynomers are based on Fyn SH3-derived binding protein, a naturally occurring human protein scaffold. In May, Covagen started a Phase Ib/IIa trial of lead candidate COVA322 for psoriasis. The compound is a dual bispecific inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-17A. J&J's London Innovation Center coordinated the deal. ...