"Enhanced activity, yield, and stability surpassing ALT-B4"
[by Lee, Young Sung] The biotech platform company Alteogen announced on August 18 that it has filed a patent application for a ‘hyaluronidase variant with an expanded application scope.’
Alteogen's hyaluronidase, ‘ALT-B4,’ already licensed to global pharmaceutical giants such as MSD (Merck, U.S.) and AstraZeneca for use in subcutaneous antibody formulations, is now being advanced through a new variant. According to the company, the updated version delivers higher activity and yield compared to the original ‘ALT-B4,’ while also improving stability, an advantage that could extend the shelf life of subcutaneous injection products.
"The newly filed patent covers a variant of ALT-B4 developed using Alteogen's proprietary protein engineering technology to further boost activity and stability," expressed Park Soon-jae, CEO of Alteogen. "While the original ALT-B4 requires cold storage and has been mainly applied to subcutaneous injections in antibody drugs, the new variant offers improved stability, opening the door to potential applications in mRNA therapies and synthetic drugs that can be stored at room temperature," he added.
Conversely, Alteogen has so far secured six licensing agreements with major global pharmaceutical companies, including MSD, AstraZeneca, Sandoz, Daiichi Sankyo, and Intas, through its hyaluronidase platform, Hybrozyme™. Notably, MSD's subcutaneous formulation of Keytruda successfully completed Phase 3 clinical trials in 2024 and is now awaiting approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).