AbCheck and Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals Enter Into Strategic Research Partnership

Press Release - June 17, 2015

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Plzen, Czech Republic, and Castres, France June 17, 2015 – AbCheck s.r.o, a wholly owned subsidiary of Affimed N.V., Heidelberg, Germany, and Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals announced today that they have expanded  their  ongoing  collaboration  into  a  strategic  research  partnership  in  the  field  of  human  antibody discovery and optimization.

AbCheck is recognized for its expertise in human antibody discovery and optimization throughout the US and  Europe.  Pierre  Fabre,  the  third  largest  French  pharmaceutical  company,  has  a  long-­‐standing  commitment to oncology and immunology. The Pierre Fabre Immunology Centre (CIPF) in Saint-­‐Julien-­‐en-­‐Genevois, France, is dedicated to the identification, development and manufacturing of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in focused therapeutic areas.

Under  the  expanded  agreement,  AbCheck  will  use  its  proprietary  human  antibody  discovery  and  optimization platform technologies, AbSieve and AbAccel, to deliver antibodies against two or more targets provided by Pierre Fabre per year over a period of three years. This period can be extended to up to five years. Pierre Fabre has secured full rights to all antibodies selected in exchange for discovery fees and  milestone  payments  to  AbCheck.  Additional  deal  terms  as  well  as  financial  details  were  not  disclosed.

“We  are  extremely  pleased  that  our  technology  platform,  performance  and  business  attitude  has  encouraged Pierre Fabre to select AbCheck as its main provider for therapeutic antibodies,” said Dr. Volker Lang, Managing Director of AbCheck. “This validation once more proves our ability to efficiently address the needs of our partners, which is instrumental to AbCheck’s future development.”

“At Pierre Fabre Immunology Center, we are working on a wide range of new promising targets and are always  looking  to  reinforce  our  capabilities  through  collaborations  with  world-­‐class  platforms.  This  strategic partnership with AbCheck will support and accelerate our antibody discovery,” said Dr. Nathalie Corvaïa, Managing Director of the Pierre Fabre Immunology Center.

“Pierre Fabre is deeply committed to bringing targeted therapies to patients that need them as quickly as possible. This partnership with AbCheck coupled with our internal capabilities provides us with a platform to achieve this objective,” added Prof. Laurent Audoly, Head of R&D, Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals.

About AbCheck

AbCheck s.r.o., set up 2009 in Plzen, Czech Republic, as a wholly owned but independent unit of Affimed N.V., focuses on the discovery  and/or  optimization  of  human  antibodies  for  partner  companies.  AbSieve,  the  combined  phage  and  yeast  display  platforms, is used to develop antibodies in all antibody formats including full-­‐length IgGs as well as customer specific and novel antibody formats. AbAccel, a proprietary algorithm for affinity maturation and optimization, is combined with Phage or Yeast Display and addresses affinity maturation, develop ability and stability optimization of antibodies in just one step. Furthermore, the use of yeast display allows screening in the final antibody drug format. AbCheck has entered into several partnerships and is recognized for its expertise in antibody discovery throughout the US and Europe.

About CIPF (Center of Immunology Pierre Fabre)

A center of excellence in the area of biotechnologies, the Center of Immunology Pierre Fabre (CIPF) develops research programs in  the  area  of  cancer  immunotherapy,  in  particular  identification  of  monoclonal  antibodies  for  therapeutic  purposes.  The  departments of Research and Industrial Biotechnology pool their specific expertise and know-­‐how to identify antibodies, define their  therapeutic  properties  and  produce  them  on  the  industrial  scale.  The  research  conducted  at  CIPF  over  the  past  several  years is currently taking shape with the clinical development of the Pierre Fabre Group’s first antibody. Cancer immunotherapy is a major focus in anti-­‐tumor therapy; CIPF is spearheading it.

About Pierre Fabre Laboratories

Pierre  Fabre  is  the  3rd  largest  French  pharmaceutical  group  and  the  2nd  largest  dermo-­‐cosmetics  company  in  the  world.  In  2014, its sales reached €2.1 billion, with Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals accounting for 44% of total sales and international sales for  55%.  Founded  and  still  headquartered  in  the  south-­‐west  of  France,  Pierre  Fabre  employs  10,000  people  worldwide  with  branches in 44 countries and distribution agreements in over 130 countries. Its portfolio covers a continuum of healthcare products,  from  prescription  drugs  (oncology,  CNS,  women’s  health,  dermatology)  and  consumer  health  care  products  (family  care, oral care, natural health) to dermo-­‐cosmetics (Avène, Ducray, A-­‐Derma, Klorane, etc.). In 2014, the Group dedicated more than 17% of its drug revenues to R&D with a focus on oncology, SNC and dermatology. Through the Pierre Fabre Participations holding company, the Pierre Fabre Foundation, a government-­‐recognized public-­‐interest foundation, owns 86% of Pierre Fabre Laboratories.  Remaining  shares  are  owned  by  employees,  amounting  to  7,3  %,  and  through  treasury  stock.  The  French  certification group AFNOR has audited Pierre Fabre Laboratories for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance at advanced level (AFAQ 26 000). To find out more, please visit www.pierre-­‐fabre.com.

About Affimed N.V.

Affimed (Nasdaq: AFMD) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing highly targeted cancer immunotherapies. Affimed’s product candidates are being developed in the field of immuno-oncology, which represents an innovative approach to cancer treatment that seeks to harness the body’s own immune defenses to fight tumor cells. The most potent cells of the human defense arsenal are types of white blood cells called natural killer cells, or NK-cells, and T-cells. Affimed’s proprietary, next-generation bispecific antibodies, called TandAbs for their tandem antibody structure, are designed to direct and establish a bridge between either NK-cells or T-cells and cancer cells, triggering a signal cascade that leads to the destruction of cancer cells. Affimed has focused its research and development efforts on three proprietary TandAb programs for which it retains global commercial rights. For more information, please visit www.affimed.com.

Affimed IR Contact

Caroline Stewart, Head IR & Communication
Phone: +1 347 394 6793
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