Adagene announces up to $25 million strategic investment from Sanofi

- Sanofi to exercise option on third SAFEbody discovery program and sponsor combination clinical trial with muzastotug - Company expects proceeds to extend cash runway into 2027 SAN DIEGO and SUZHOU, China, July

- Sanofi to exercise option on third SAFEbody discovery program and sponsor combination clinical trial with muzastotug

- Company expects proceeds to extend cash runway into 2027

SAN DIEGO and SUZHOU, China, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adagene Inc. ("Adagene or the Company") (NASDAQ:ADAG), a company transforming the discovery and development of novel antibody-based therapies, today announced strategic investment and option exercise by Sanofi (Euronext: SAN FP).

Sanofi has agreed to make strategic investment of up to US$25 million in Adagene. The Company plans to use the proceeds to fund its research and development activities, including clinical development of muzastotug (ADG126), an anti-CTLA-4 SAFEbody, through a randomized phase 2 trial in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS CRC).

To further explore the clinical potential of muzastotug, Adagene will supply Sanofi with muzastotug to evaluate the safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics and biomarker data in combination with other anticancer therapies in over 100 patients in a phase 1/2 clinical trial in advanced solid tumors. Adagene continues to own worldwide commercial rights to muzastotug.

Sanofi has also exercised its option to select a third SAFEbody discovery program, utilizing Adagene's proprietary masking technology and antibody engineering expertise. The bispecific therapeutic, with undisclosed targets, will be engineered by Adagene and induces an option exercise fee, as well as milestones and royalties as per the 2022 partnership agreement with Adagene.

"Expanding our partnership with Sanofi highlights the potential of our SAFEbody platform and the clinical proof of concept for ADG126, our masked anti-CTLA-4 program and the most advanced of its kind," ...