History

Dec 2009

Ablynx achieved a third milestone payment of €3 million from Boehringer Ingelheim as part of its strategic alliance.

Nov 2009

• Ablynx has been awarded a grant worth €1.1 million by the Flemish agency for Innovation by Science and Technology (IWT) to further develop new routes of administration for Nanobodies^®.
• Ablynx achieved third milestone in drug discovery and development collaboration with Novartis.

Oct 2009

• Ablynx achieved a milestone payment of €3 million from Boehringer Ingelheim as part of the strategic alliance.
• Ablynx achieved an undisclosed milestone payment from Novartis for an exclusive research license as part of the R&D alliance.
• Ablynx reached a settlement with Domantis (part of GSK group) concerning a dispute relating to a settlement agreement between Ablynx and Domantis entered into 2005.
• Ablynx held an R&D update day at which the Company provided an update of its therapeutic pipeline and recent advances with its Nanobody^® technology platform.

Sep 2009

• Ablynx initiated a Phase II clinical study for ALX-0081.
• Ablynx received a milestone payment of $4 million as Wyeth Pharmaceuticals initiated a Phase II multiple dose study of an anti-TNF Nanobody^® in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Jul 2009

Ablynx promoted to the Belgian Mid-Cap Index.

Jun 2009

Ablynx announced a new preclinical development candidate, ALX-0061, a Nanobody^® binding to the interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R), for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

May 2009

Ablynx’s vWF Nanobody^® programme for the treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) was granted orphan drug designation by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Commission.

Mar 2009

Ablynx reported detailed positive Phase Ib results for ALX-0081.

Feb 2009

Ablynx received a $3 million milestone from Boehringer Ingelheim as part of its strategic alliance for the development and commercialisation of Nanobodies^®.

Jan 2009

• Ablynx expanded its musculoskeletal research portfolio by transferring in-house full ownership of a bone disorder R&D programme initiated under its collaboration with Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals.
• Published important initial data on a novel proprietary half-life extension technology as well as demonstrating successful pulmonary delivery of Nanobodies^®.
• Ablynx strengthens its management team with the appointment of Debbie Law as Chief Scientific Officer.

Dec 2008

• Wyeth initiated a first Phase I study in healthy volunteers for Ablynx’s Nanobody^® targeting tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).
• Ablynx reported positive results confirming that ALX-0081 had reached the primary endpoint of the Phase Ib study, demonstrating the desired pharmacological effect and also initiated its second clinical development programme, ALX-0681. ALX-0681, also an anti-thrombotic, which is administered subcutaneously, entered a healthy volunteer Phase I study.

Sep 2008

Ablynx and Merck Serono enter into an agreement to co-discover and co-develop Nanobodies^® against 2 targets in oncology and immunology.

May 2008

Ablynx initiated a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multiple dose Phase Ib study for ALX-0081 which is being conducted in patients with stable angina undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Ablynx aims to start the process of Phase II development of ALX-0081 by the end of 2008.

Dec 2007

• Ablynx reported the final, positive results from a Phase I study of its lead development programme, ALX-0081. Following these positive Phase I results, Ablynx will progress ALX-0081 to a multi-dose study in 2008.
• Ablynx raised an additional €10.2 million via the Over-allotment Option. Ablynx has now raised a total gross amount of €85.2 million in its initial public offering: €75 million from the placement of new shares in the framework of the IPO and €10.2 million from the issue of new shares in connection with the exercise of the Over-allotment Option.

Nov 2007

Ablynx successfully completed its initial public offering (IPO) and listed on Eurolist by Euronext Brussels on November 7th 2007 under the symbol “ABLX”. The IPO was priced at €7.00 per share. Pursuant to the offering, 10,714,285 new shares, equivalent to €75.00 million, were issued by Ablynx, and additionally, 1,607,142 over-allotment shares, equivalent to €11.25 million was allocated.

Sep 2007

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) and Ablynx announced a major global strategic alliance to discover, develop and commercialise up to 10 different Nanobody^® therapeutics. BI and Ablynx will collaborate jointly in the discovery of Nanobodies^® against agreed targets across multiple therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and respiratory disease .

Jun 2007

Ablynx reaches a second milestone in its collaboration with Procter & Gamble by discovering a second target for possible new treatments in the musculoskeletal area.

Jan 2007

Ablynx signed a $265M exclusive worldwide research and licensing agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to develop a new Alzheimer’s treatment using Ablynx’s Nanobodies^®.

Nov 2006

Ablynx signed a $212.5M exclusive worldwide research and licensing agreement with Wyeth to discover, develop and commercialise Nanbodies^® directed at the TNF- protein and its receptors.

Oct 2006

Ablynx moved into brand new facilities on the Technologiepark near Ghent, occupying close to

3,000 m2. This facility has sufficient space for almost 200 people.

Aug 2006

The series C financing raised €40M (~$50M) led by new investor KBC, Belgium’s leading bank for private and public equities. SR One, the venture capital arm of GSK was the second new investor. All existing investors (Abingworth, Alta Partners, Gilde, GIMV and Sofinnova Partners) participated in the round which was one of the largest finance rounds in Europe during 2006.

Apr 2006

Ablynx and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals extend their discovery and development alliance to include metabolic disease targets.

Mar 2006

Edwin Moses, Chairman of Ablynx’s Board of Directors since November 2004, extended his role to also become CEO of Ablynx.

Jan 2006

• Ablynx and Novartis signed an agreement to collaborate in discovery and development of novel Nanobody^®-based therapeutics against disease targets that are difficult to address with conventional antibodies or their fragments.
• Ablynx and Centocor (Johnson&Johnson) signed a collaboration agreement to jointly work on novel approaches for administration and delivery of Nanobody^®-based therapeutics.

Aug 2005

The Opposition Division of the European Patent Office upheld the key composition of matter claims for Nanobodies^® contained within EP 0 656 946, one of the Hamers Patents, following opposition proceedings initiated by Domantis. 

Jul 2004

Ablynx and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals entered into a drug discovery and development partnership to discover and develop Nanobody^®-based drug candidates against a G-protein couple receptor target specified by Procter & Gamble.

Apr 2004

Ablynx closed a series B financing of €25M led by Alta Partners together with Abingworth. The Company’s existing shareholders GIMV, Sofinnova Partners and Gilde also participated.

Jan 2002

Ablynx closed a series A financing of €3M by Sofinnova and Gilde.

Nov 2001

Ablynx was established as a spin-off of VIB and the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and became operational in early 2002. Seed financing of €2M was provided by GIMV.