FOI release

FOI2022/00314: Collaboration with Chugai & IP on humanizing antibodies

This request was refused in part, so we didn't provide some of the information the requester asked for. This may include information where we can neither confirm nor deny that we hold it.

Case reference FOI2022/00314

Published 7 November 2022

Request

Request Received: 1 October 2022

Dear Medical Research Council,

According to a publication by Oshugi et al 2020 (available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589909019300309), in 1991, the Medical Research Council and Chugai Pharmaceuticals co-developed the antibody that was later named tocilizumab (RoActemra).

The paper claims that the antibody was "humanized by using CDR-grafting technology in collaboration with the MRC (Medical Research Council)" and that the "MRC (Medical Research Council) Collaborative Center in the United Kingdom held the intellectual property rights for antibody humanization".

Could you please provide all documentation you hold on the collaboration between Chugai Pharmaceuticals and the MRC? Also, please provide a list of all Intellectual Property held by the MRC which pertains to "antibody humanization"?

Response

Response Sent: 7 November 2022

Full details of this response are provided in the attached documents.

Documents

• FOI2022-00314 documents _Redacted.pdf (5.7 MB)
• FOI_Response_Letter_FOI2022_00314_Redacted.pdf (280.1 KB)

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