AbbVie Opts Out of Arthritis Drug Pact

AbbVie has decided not to exercise its right to opt-in and license vobarilizumab, an anti-IL-6R nanobody being developed to treat auto-immune disorders by Ablynx, a Ghent, Belgium-based biopharmaceutical company. AbbVie has opted out of developing the drug for a rheumatoid arthritis indication. Ablynx will move vobarilizumab into a Phase III RA program while initiating partnering discussions.

Vobarilizumab targets the interleukin 6 pathway via its IL-6 receptor (IL-6R). IL-6 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a role in T-cell activation, production of acute phase proteins in response to inflammation, induction of immunoglobulin production, and stimulation of osteoclast differentiation and activation. Vobarilizumab (26kD) is an anti-IL-6R nanobody linked to an anti-human serum albumin nanobody to increase the in vivo half-life of the molecule.

Source: Ablynx

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