SOBI acquires rights outside China to SEL 212 a proposed treatment for gout from Selecta Biosciences

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) (Sobi™) and Selecta Biosciences, Inc. announced that the companies have entered into a strategic licensing agreement for the product candidate SEL 212. SEL 212 is a combination of Selecta's tolerogenic ImmTOR immune tolerance platform and a therapeutic uricase enzyme (pegadricase) that is designed to durably control serum uric acid, reduce immunogenicity, and allow for repeated monthly dosing for the treatment of chronic refractory gout. Gout is an autoinflammatory disease that causes intensely painful flares and debilitating inflammatory arthritis due to deposition of pro-inflammatory monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in synovial fluid and other tissues. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis in the US and prevalence in both US and Europe is rising. Chronic refractory gout occurs in patients who do not respond to conventional therapies and therefore suffer from high tissue MSU-burden that can cause frequent gout flares and chronic arthritis. The chronic refractory gout market is estimated to be worth at least USD 1 billion in sales in the US alone. The phase III programme is expected to commence in 2H 2020.