Company Announcement
AbbVie Inc. files complaint against Genmab in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (Seattle)Genmab categorically refutes allegations and will vigorously defend the company
COPENHAGEN, Denmark; March 22, 2025 – Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) announced today that
AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie) has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington (Seattle) naming Genmab A/S; ProfoundBio US Co.; ProfoundBio (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.; and former AbbVie employees as defendants. AbbVie alleges that the defendants have misappropriated AbbVie’s alleged trade secrets relating to the use of disaccharides to improve the hydrophilicity of drug-linkers in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in connection with rinatabart sesutecan (Rina-S™) and other ADC pipeline products of ProfoundBio. Genmab acquired ProfoundBio in May 2024.
AbbVie is seeking damages and broad injunctive reliefs. AbbVie’s alleged trade secrets are related to the use of disaccharides to improve the hydrophilicity of drug-linkers in ADCs. AbbVie is not asserting or enforcing any patent rights against the defendants, and to Genmab’s knowledge, AbbVie has not pursued any development of products incorporating their alleged trade secrets.
Genmab categorically refutes these allegations and will vigorously defend the company against AbbVie’s claims.
Genmab notes that this is yet another lawsuit among multiple recent lawsuits filed by AbbVie against competitors alleging misappropriation of its trade secrets by former AbbVie employees.
Rina-S, to which this complaint relates, is a clinical-stage, FRα (folate receptor-alpha)-targeted, Topo1 ADC, in Phase 3 development for the treatment of ovarian cancer and other FRα-expressing solid tumors. Rina-S is comprised of a proprietary antibody to FRα, a proprietary linker that combines PEG (polyethylene glycol) with sorbitol, to achieve a differentiated hydrophilic protease cleavable linker that facilitates a homogenous drug to antibody-ratio (DAR) of 8 for the payload, exatecan, a second-generation topoisomerase I inhibitor.
Rina-S has the potential
