PASylated candidate to advance into preclinical development under new agreement

XL-protein, a German company specialising in biopolymers for pharmacokinetic optimisation, has signed a worldwide licence, development, and commercialisation agreement with Grifols. The partnership will focus on advancing a novel, long-acting biopharmaceutical that leverages XL-protein’s PASylation technology.

Under the agreement, XL-protein will support preclinical development activities using its proprietary platform, designed to extend the half-life of therapeutic proteins. Grifols, a US-based healthcare company and manufacturer of plasma-derived medicines, will take responsibility for further development, manufacturing, and global marketing of the PASylated biologic.

Financial terms include an upfront payment to XL-protein, along with milestone payments linked to preclinical, clinical, regulatory, and commercial progress. XL-protein will also receive tiered royalties on future product sales. Grifols holds exclusive worldwide marketing rights for any resulting therapies. Additional financial details were not disclosed.

“Grifols continues to innovate across its therapeutic portfolio to develop new treatments and enhance existing ones for patients,” said Dr Jörg Schüttrumpf, chief scientific innovation officer at Grifols. “We look forward to collaborating with XL-protein and combining our advanced scientific efforts in this initiative.”

Dr Michaela Gebauer, managing director at XL-protein, added: “We are excited to work with Grifols to enhance the pharmacological properties of their therapeutics.” Fellow managing director Uli Binder said the collaboration builds on XL-protein’s broader pipeline: “This partnership leverages the potential of our PASylation technology, alongside other PASylated drugs currently under development, and creates added value for Grifols.”