ImmunoQure AG announces the recovery of ownership and control of the IQ004 anti-Interferon-α antibody program following termination of the strategic partnership with Servier

Düsseldorf, Germany February 22nd, 2023. ImmunoQure, a biotech company focused on the discovery of human autoantibodies as therapeutics for the treatment of common human diseases and Servier, an international pharmaceutical company announced the termination of its Worldwide, exclusive partnership for the development of a therapeutic autoantibody neutralizing interferon- α.

ImmunoQure focuses on the autoantibody repertoire of an ultra-rare disease termed APECED/APS-1. APS-1 is a monogenetic disorder whereby null or hypomorphic mutations in the AIRE gene greatly impair central T cell tolerance. ImmunoQure published a seminal paper in Cell describing the presence in AIRE patient serum of, autoantibodies specific for very many types of self-proteins, including cytokines. Those findings, validated in many other studies, included the detection and isolation of ultra-high affinity, biologically neutralizing pan Interferon-α specific autoantibodies.

In 2017, ImmunoQure and Servier entered into a strategic alliance to work collaboratively to advance ImmunoQure’s therapeutic human Interferon-α autoantibody in a number of interferon-driven diseases. Following an internal strategic realignment, Servier decided to terminate development of interferon-α antibodies and return the rights to ImmunoQure.

“We thank Servier for the multi-year collaboration between our two companies and for the advancement of the of interferon-α program to a late pre-clinical stage. Although we were looking forward to seeing the interferon-α autoantibody show utility in unmet clinical settings, we of course understand the necessity for strategic realignment within Servier’s immunology and auto-inflammation team” stated Prof. Adrian Hayday, ImmunoQure’s co-founder and senior scientific advisor.

Dr. Edward Stuart, ImmunoQure’s CEO commented “We recover the interferon program at a key time in its development cycle with a strong asset base and clear data sets demonstrating that our lead antibody – IQ004.19D11 is a safe and efficacious drug candidate that can enter the clinic upon completion of downstream process activities.”

About ImmunoQure AG
ImmunoQure AG is a German biotechnology company based in Düsseldorf. Founded in 2011, by a consortium of scientists, biotech entrepreneurs, and APECED/APS1 patients, ImmunoQure focuses on the research and development of autoantibodies rescued from APECED/APS-1 patients.