BMS acquires Cormorant Pharma and with it HuMax-IL8.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS) and Cormorant Pharmaceuticals announced that BMS has acquired all of the outstanding capital stock of Cormorant, a private, Stockholm, Sweden-based pharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapies for cancer and rare diseases. The acquisition gives BMS full rights to Cormorant�s HuMax-IL8 antibody program and the lead candidate HuMax-IL8, a Phase 1/II monoclonal antibody targeted against interleukin-8 (IL-8) that represents a potentially complementary immuno-oncology mechanism of action to T-cell directed antibodies and co-stimulatory molecules. IL-8 is a protein expressed by many solid tumours within the tumour microenvironment that suppresses the immune system and increases the ability of tumours to metastasize. By targeting IL-8, HuMax-IL8 offers the potential to enhance immune response and increase the efficacy of existing cancer medicines through combination therapy. The rights to HuMax-IL8 were acquired by Cormorant from Genmab A/S in 2012 under an exclusive license agreement.