Under the deal, Swiss firm Lonza will produce the commercial material for Agennix's talactoferrin - a dendritic cell mediated immunotherapy (DCMI) - at its facility in Kourim, Czech Republic.
In a joint statement, the firms said the agreement is the precursor to applying for approval for Lonza as a second manufacturer after the commercial launch.
Rajesh Malik, chief medical officer of Agennix, said a partnership with the drugsmaker was sought because of its “extensive experience manufacturing biologics on a commercial scale.”
He said: “In anticipation of positive Phase III data and a potential product approval, it is important that we have more than one manufacturer in place to ensure we can meet anticipated commercial demand and that we have security of supply.”
However Stephan Kutzer, COO of Lonza custom manufacturing said the deal is also a reflection that the company is keen to work with early stage production as well as commercial phase, adding: "Our partnership with Agennix is an example of this commitment and demonstrates Lonza's ability to offer access to our development and manufacturing expertise at an early stage of production."