Press release

Pierre Fabre Laboratories and RedRidge Bio Announce a Drug Discovery and Co-development Partnership

11 March 2025

Castres, France; Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Basel, Switzerland, 12 March 2025 – Pierre Fabre Laboratories and RedRidge Bio (“RedRidge”) today announced an exclusive R&D collaboration and license agreement to identify and develop biparatopic antibody (BPA) drug candidates against multiple targets. In line with Pierre Fabre Laboratories’ innovation strategy, the partnership’s therapeutic focus will be on precision oncology as well as dermatology and rare diseases.  

Under the terms of the agreement, RedRidge will provide its capabilities to engineer, screen and characterize BPAs against an undisclosed portfolio of jointly nominated targets, while Pierre Fabre Laboratories will provide their drug development expertise to help drive two co-development programs through clinical development. RedRidge will hold exclusive commercial rights in the United States, Canada, and Japan for both programs, while Pierre Fabre Laboratories will hold exclusive rest-of-world rights. In addition, Pierre Fabre Laboratories will hold exclusive worldwide rights for a third program after a hand-off by RedRidge at a preclinical stage. 

Financial terms of the agreement are not disclosed but include investment participation by Pierre Fabre Laboratories in RedRidge’s Series A financing that will be announced separately, as well as upfront, milestone and future sales royalty payments in addition to funded research payments for Pierre Fabre Laboratories’ worldwide program. RedRidge and Pierre Fabre Laboratories will share R&D costs for the co-development programs. 

This strategic alliance attests to the RedRidge team’s expertise in innovation and drug discovery for a wide variety of therapeutic targets. We are thrilled to join forces with Pierre Fabre Laboratories as a highly experienced development partner and look forward to building a long-term partnership that synergistically leverages the capabilities of each company.

Alex Mayweg, PhD
hairperson of RedRidge’s board and a managing director at Versant Ventures

Pierre Fabre Laboratories are excited to enter into this agreement with RedRidge, which confirms our commitment to collaborate with innovative biotechnology companies. This partnership will allow us to capitalize on RedRidge’s cutting-edge expertise in biparatopic antibody drug discovery to deliver high quality clinical candidates on multiple targets addressing oncology, dermatology and rare diseases. It represents a significant milestone in the implementation of our strategy to enrich further our R&D pipeline.

Dr Francesco Hofmann
Head of Research and Development for Medical Care at Pierre Fabre

About RedRidge Bio

RedRidge Bio was incubated by Versant Ventures and the firm’s Ridgeline Discovery Engine in Basel Switzerland.  RedRidge is an R&D company focused on the discovery and development of biparatopic antibodies for best-in-class efficacy. Biparatopic antibodies are multispecific therapeutic proteins that engage distinct epitopes on the same molecular target, which can offer myriad benefits compared to conventional antibodies, including superior functional antagonism, more efficient internalization, and fit-for-purpose agonism.  With its leading platform that systematically elucidates desired candidates by leveraging high-throughput and big data, the company is developing a pipeline of therapeutic candidates in oncology and autoimmunity on both a fully proprietary basis and with its co-development partner, Pierre Fabre Laboratories.

About Pierre Fabre Laboratories

Pierre Fabre Laboratories are one of Europe's leading pharmaceutical companies. For over 40 years, it has established itself as an international player in oncology, mastering the entire value chain from R&D to marketing. Its portfolio of oncology specialties covers colorectal, breast, lung and skin cancers, as well as certain hematologic malignancies and precancerous dermatological conditions such as actinic keratosis. In 2024, its oncology revenue amounted to nearly 520 million euros, over 90% of which was generated outside France.   

 

In 2024, Pierre Fabre Laboratories posted 3.1 billion euros in revenue, 71% of which came from international sales in 120 countries. Its portfolio includes several international brands and medical franchises such as Pierre Fabre Oncologie, Pierre Fabre Dermatologie, Pierre Fabre Pharma Care.    

Historically based in the southwest of France and manufacturing more than 90% of its products in France, Pierre Fabre Laboratories employs over 10,200 people worldwide. Their R&D budget amounted to 220 million euros in 2024, of which about 70% is dedicated to targeted therapies in oncology and 30% to skin health and care solutions.     

Pierre Fabre Laboratories' majority shareholder (86%) is the eponymous Foundation, which is recognized by the French government as being a public–interest foundation. This capital structure guarantees the company's independence and long-term vision. Dividends paid to the Pierre Fabre Foundation enable it to design and finance humanitarian healthcare-access programs in developing countries. Employees are the company's secondary shareholder, through an international employee shareholding plan.     

Pierre Fabre Laboratories’ sustainability policy has been assessed by the independent AFNOR Certification body and has been awarded the "Exemplary" level of its CSR label (ISO 26 000 standard for sustainable development).    

La démarche RSE des Laboratoires Pierre Fabre est évaluée par AFNOR Certification au niveau « Exemplaire » du label Engagé RSE (norme ISO 26 000 du développement durable).   

 

For more information, visit  www.pierre-fabre.com@Pierre Fabre Oncology. 

 

 

Media Contact 

Les Laboratoires Pierre Fabre :

Laure Bregeon-Sgandurra

+33 6 32 54 92 01

Laure.Sgandurra@pierre-fabre.com

 

 

RedRidge Bio :

Jonathan Fassberg

astr partners

+1 (917) 312-0822

jonathan.fassberg@astrpartners.com 

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