Astellas commits up to $285M upfront for Audax's preclinical IL-12 program, with potential $1.05B milestones

Astellas Pharma has entered a licensing agreement with Audax Biosciences to gain rights to the latter’s IL-12 immuno‑oncology candidate DAX‑044.

Under the deal, Astellas will pay up to $285 million in upfront and option fees, and could owe as much as $1.05 billion in milestone payments if development milestones are met.

Audax has engineered DAX‑044 as a cytokine‑antibody fusion that lowers affinity for the IL‑12 receptor, aiming to reduce the dosing‑related toxicity that has hampered IL‑12 drugs for years and to extend the molecule’s half‑life.

The agreement reflects renewed big‑pharma interest in cytokine therapies after several companies discontinued their IL‑12 programs in recent years.