Sanofi announces the completion of its acquisition of DR-0201, a targeted bispecific myeloid cell engager, from Dren Bio, Inc., a private clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The acquisition bolsters Sanofi’s ambition to become the foremost immunology company and broadens the company’s leading immunology pipeline.

DR-0201, now named SAR448501, has shown robust B-cell depletion in pre-clinical and early clinical studies. The potential first-in-class targeted bispecific myeloid cell engager targets and engages specific tissue-resident and trafficking myeloid cells to induce deep B-cell depletion via targeted phagocytosis.

Recent pre-clinical and early clinical study data in autoimmune diseases suggest that deep B-cell depletion has the potential to reset the adaptive immune system, leading to sustained treatment-free remission in patients with refractory B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as lupus, where significant unmet medical needs remain.

Sanofi acquired DR-0201 through the acquisition of the Dren Bio affiliate Dren 0201, Inc. for an upfront payment of $600 million and potential future payments totaling $1.3 billion upon achievements of certain development and launch milestones. Dren Bio will continue to operate independently to advance its pipeline of antibody therapeutics that selectively deplete pathogenic cells and other disease-causing agents.