Genmab

Genmab's technology is licensed from Medarex to create fully human high affinity antibodies using transgenic mice. These antibodies are less likely to elicit an allergic reaction and other side effects compared with other types of man-made antibodies containing other animal proteins because the IgG antibodies produced have human proteins. This technology is called the HuMab-Mouse technology. One benefit of using this type of technology is that there is no need for humanization or complicated genetic engineering to make this antibody fit for humans which cuts down on expenses and time spent developing it. It can be generated within months and can be selected to bind to specific antigens such as tumor cells and other infectious agents. Genmab has also developed its own technology, called UniBody, which is used to make smaller antibodies in contrast to traditional full-size monoclonal antibodies. The smaller size allows for better distribution over larger target areas like tumors. The UniBody can only bind to one site and doesn’t elicit a harmful immune response by binding to two sites and over-activating cell growth. It does not kill target cells but rather silences or inhibits them. Thus it can be used to treat certain cancers, inflammations, allergies and asthmas, where killing the cell isn’t the objective. The technology modifies the human IgG4 antibody. Normally the IgG4 is considered inert and doesn’t elicit an immune response. However, they are also unstable and fall apart easily, which makes them unsuitable for therapeutic use. Genmab changes the shape of the IgG4 antibody by eliminating the hinge, the part of the antibody that creates the “Y” shape. This halves the antibody, creating a smaller version now known as their UniBody. This smaller version can only bind to one site and does not stimulate cancer cells to grow. == History ==

Genmab was founded as a European spin-off of American Biotech company Medarex in February 1999. Danish investment firm BankInvest, under Florian Schönharting, provided the seed investment for the company to start up in Copenhagen. Like Medarex, Genmab began work producing monoclonal antibodies for life-threatening or debilitating diseases. Rising quickly in the Biotech world, Genmab attracted many investors, especially venture capital firms. The company went public in October 2000, earning DKK 1.56 billion, and had a second public offering in January 2006, yielding DKK 800 million. The company's initial R&D location was a nine-story building in Utrecht Science Park, in the Netherlands; this was replaced with an "R&D Center" also in Utrecht, in June 2018. In 2005, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the Long Island Life Sciences Initiative honored Genmab with a James D. Watson Helix Award. 2008 saw the company purchasing a 22,000-litre, 36-acre antibody manufacturing plant in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota from PDL BioPharma, with plans to retain all 170 employees thereat. However, the company ran into financial trouble originating from several quarters, and a decision to sell the facility was reached in late 2009, after Genmab had started producing development scale batches from the facility. Executive history Lisa N. Drakeman, Ph.D. had been a vice president at Medarex and wife of Donald Drakeman, Medarex's CEO and President at the time. Drakeman was one of Genmab's co-founders and was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of the company upon incorporation in 1999, also joining the board of directors. but by 2010 she had announced her retirement. Since the company started in 1999, he had been Genmab's chief scientific officer (CSO); he had concurrently served as head of research, then president of R&D. a drug that could be used for treatment in CD20 positive B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis and other indications. The agreement gave Genmab a license fee of DKK 582 million () and GSK bought 4,471,202 shares of Genmab for DKK 2,033 million (). The potential value of this agreement could be DKK 12.0 billion () if all milestones are reached and commercial success is reached in the fields of cancer, autoimmune, and inflammatory disease. In April 2024, the company announced it would acquire ProfoundBio for $1.8 billion. In September 2025, Genmab announced it would acquire Merus N.V.—a Dutch biotech company developing late-stage head and neck cancer drug—for ~$8 billion. == Products ==

The company has 8 approved antibodies (monoclonal and bispecific) used in 8 marketed products, covering cancer indications and autoimmune diseases. Proprietary, marketed with partners: • Epkinly/Tepkinly (epcoritamab) for the treatment of Relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (AbbVie) • Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin) for the treatment of previously treated recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer (Seagen) Marketed by partners: • Darzalex (IV) (daratumumab) / Darzalex Faspro (SC) (daratumumab and hyaluronidase) for the treatment of all stages of multiple myeloma as combination therapy or monotherapy, and for the treatment of newly diagnosed amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis (Janssen) • Kesimpta (ofatumumab) for the treatment of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (Novartis) • Rybrevant (amivantamab) for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations) (Janssen) • Talvey (talquetamab) for the treatment of relapsed/refractory MM (Janssen) • Tecvayli (teclistamab) for the treatment of relapsed/refractory MM (Janssen) • Tepezza (teprotumumab) for the treatment of thyroid eye disease (Horizon) Furthermore both Genmab and its partners have a whole range of antibody programs, building on Genmab technologies, in clinical and pre-clinical development in both cancer and autoimmune diseases.Genmab have several late stage clinical programs for tisotumab vedotin (cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and solid tumors) and epcoritamab (B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Relapsed/refractory Follicular lymphoma).The partners have, among others, clinical programs for daratumumab (non-MM blood cancers), amivantamab (gastric cancer and esophageal cancer), Mim8 (Factor VIII mimetic bi-specific antibody) (Haemophilia A), inclacumab (VOC in Sickle cell disease) and teprotumumab (diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis). == Pipeline ==

Proprietary Products Approved Medicines/Products Pipeline, Including Further Development for Approved Medicines Programs Incorporating Genmab’s Innovation and Technology Approved Medicines/Products Pipeline, Partner-owned products incorporating Genmab’s innovation, ≥Phase 2 Development == References ==