Epsilogen, a company in cancer treatment innovation through immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies, has partnered with Lonza to announce a significant advancement in their efforts. 

The companies have successfully completed the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing of MOv18 IgE, Epsilogen’s leading IgE antibody drug candidate.

This milestone achievement, achieved through process development and cGMP manufacturing at Lonza’s Slough (UK) site, took less than ten months. IgE antibodies, noted for their potency, extended tissue half-life, and ability to target tumor cells expressing low antigen levels, offer promising alternatives to commonly used IgG antibodies in oncology.

Epsilogen plans to utilize this breakthrough material for its forthcoming Phase Ib study in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC) patients, slated to commence later in 2024. Dr. Tim Wilson, CEO of Epsilogen, expressed his enthusiasm for the successful GMP manufacturing of MOv18 IgE stating, “The successful GMP manufacture at scale of MOv18 IgE marks another major milestone in realizing the potential of IgE antibodies as a new and differentiated class of cancer therapies for the treatment of patients with solid tumours. Decades of technical achievement and financial investment have made GMP manufacture of the IgG class of therapeutic antibodies a routine process. Lonza and Epsilogen have worked together to apply Lonza’s knowledge and experience to MOv18 IgE. As a part of the IgE antibody class, it is structurally and functionally distinct from IgG. It is very gratifying to see this effort and investment pay off."

Stefan Egli, Global Head of Mammalian Biologics at Lonza, emphasized the strategic value of their manufacturing services tailored to the unique properties of each molecule. MOv18 IgE targets the folate receptor alpha (FR alpha) antigen, making it the first and only IgE antibody in clinical development. 

Encouraging safety and tolerability data from a Phase I safety study in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer patients have bolstered confidence in MOv18 IgE's potential efficacy.