Replies to post #5276 on GTC Biotherapeutics (fka GTCB)

[DewDiligence]

BioWa’s parent company, Kyowa Hakko Kogyo,
is in merger discussions with Kirin Brewery:

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKT5720071019

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Kyowa Hakko has been winning more and more attention from investors due to its antibody-enhancement technologies, in particular its Potelligent technology, which is expected to deliver more potent antibodies and cut production costs.

Kirin Pharma spokesman Tomoyuki Kawahara said Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd [an affiliate of Roche], Kyowa Hakko and Kirin Pharma are the leading players in the promising field of antibody drugs, which tend to have fewer side-effects than regular medications.

Nomura Securities analyst Tetsuhito Morita said a string of acquisitions in the global antibody drug market likely made Kyowa Hakko wary of a hostile takeover and pushed it into the arms of Kirin, which at the same time is under pressure from investors to use its ample cash.

"In Europe and the United States, the antibody drug market has become the centre for takeover bid dramas, and that is now happening in Japan," Morita said.

Kirin has been using acquisitions to reduce its reliance on the domestic beer business, which accounts for nearly half of its group revenue. It has diversified into overseas markets, other alcoholic beverages and the pharmaceutical business.

News of the latest deal sent shares of Kyowa Hakko up 16.6 percent to end the day at 1,402 yen, while Kirin's rose 1.2 percent to 1,586 yen, both outperforming a fall in the broader Tokyo market.
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[DewDiligence]

BioWa Announces Expansion of Agreement with Genentech

[BioWa, like GTC, has a platform to produce antibody drugs with enhanced ADCC, a feature that may be especially useful in treating cancer. BioWa also has some big-name licensees including DNA, GSK, and Takeda. BioWa’s parent company, Kyowa Hakko, has been in merger discussions with Kirin Brewery (#msg-23822146).]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080303/nem012.html

Monday March 3, 6:00 am ET

PRINCETON, N.J., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- BioWa, Inc. announced today that it has expanded the license agreement with Genentech, Inc. providing Genentech additional access to BioWa's POTELLIGENT® Technology for the research and development of select antibodies for potential therapeutic applications that require enhancement of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

"BioWa is pleased to extend this license with Genentech, which is a market leader in the field of antibody therapeutics," commented Dr. Masamichi Koike, President and CEO of BioWa. "We feel this alliance will strongly aid in the development of more effective targeted treatments for cancer and other diseases."

Under the terms of the expanded license agreement, BioWa will grant to Genentech commercial rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize antibodies utilizing POTELLIGENT® Technology for an additional number of targets. In return, BioWa will receive milestone payments and royalties on products developed by Genentech. Additional terms were not disclosed.

About POTELLIGENT® Technology

POTELLIGENT® Technology improves potency and efficacy of antibody therapeutics, by enhancing ADCC, one of the major mechanisms of action for antibody therapeutics. POTELLIGENT® Technology involves the reduction of the amount of fucose in the carbohydrate structure of an antibody using a proprietary fucosyltransferase-knockout CHO cell line as a production cell. Research shows that POTELLIGENT® Technology dramatically enhances ADCC activity of an antibody in vitro, and significantly increases potency and efficacy of the antibody in vivo.

About BioWa, Inc.

BioWa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd. (TSE: 4151), Japan's leading pharmaceutical and largest biotech company, and is the exclusive worldwide licensor of AccretaMab(TM) platform. AccretaMab(TM) platform consists of POTELLIGENT® and COMPLEGENT(TM) Technologies, creating a superior antibody molecule with enhanced ADCC and CDC activities. BioWa is offering POTELLIGENT® and COMPLEGENT(TM) Technologies to partners under a license to maximize the value of these technologies. In addition, BioWa is focused on development of ADCC/CDC enhanced monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics to fight cancer and other life-threatening and debilitating diseases. Both BioWa and Kyowa have POTELLIGENT® antibody products at various clinical stages. For more information about BioWa, visit its web site at www.biowa.com.
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