ABL Bio, a new drug development company, has successfully licensed its technology to global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in a deal worth up to KRW 3.8 trillion. This achievement comes seven months after a KRW 4 trillion technology export to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in April this year.

ABL Bio announced on the 12th that it has transferred its bispecific antibody platform technology, 'Grabody-B', to Eli Lilly. The contract includes an upfront payment of USD 40 million (approximately KRW 58.5 billion), which will be received immediately upon completion of administrative procedures such as the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Subsequently, ABL Bio could receive up to USD 2.562 billion (approximately KRW 3.7487 trillion) depending on the development, approval, and commercialization stages.

Grabody-B, the technology exported in this deal, is a platform that can cross the 'blood-brain barrier (BBB)', a dense barrier that prevents external substances from entering the brain. Many brain disease treatment candidates have failed in clinical trials because they could not cross the BBB. Both companies plan to utilize Grabody-B in developing treatments for various diseases, including degenerative brain diseases. Previously, ABL Bio had also licensed its Parkinson's disease treatment candidate 'ABL301', developed using Grabody-B, to GSK in 2022.

Lee Sang-hoon, CEO of ABL Bio, stated, "This technology transfer agreement reaffirms the commercialization potential of the Grabody platform," adding, "It is encouraging that the applicable fields continue to expand."

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