CDR-Life strikes CHF 456 million deal with Boehringer Ingelheim

Building on their longstanding collaboration in retinal health, Swiss Biotech startup CDR-Life, ranked among the Top100 Swiss Startups and a Venture Leaders Life Sciences alumnus, and Boehringer Ingelheim, have entered a new global licensing agreement. The partnership focuses on advancing CDR-Life's antibody-based molecule, CDR111, for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, CDR-Life is eligible for payments of up to CHF 456 million (approximately USD 570 million), including CHF 38 million (approximately USD 48 million) in upfront and near-term payments, as well as tiered royalties on future sales.

CDR111 is a trispecific M-gager—an antibody-based T-cell engager designed to selectively target and deplete B cells, aiming to reset the immune system. Dysregulated B cells are known to play a central role in the development of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, and certain forms of arthritis. By deeply depleting these cells, CDR111 holds potential for broad therapeutic applications across multiple indications.

The new agreement strengthens the partnership between Boehringer Ingelheim and CDR-Life, which began with their earlier collaboration on an investigational antibody fragment. That molecule, developed by Boehringer using technology licensed from CDR-Life, targets geographic atrophy (GA) with the goal of preserving vision. It is currently being evaluated in the VERDANT Phase 2 clinical trial.

Through this expanded collaboration, the two companies aim to advance innovative immunotherapies that could address some of the most challenging autoimmune diseases.

Biotech CDR has been ranked among the Top100 Swiss Startups and participated in Venture Leaders Life Sciences. "Venture Leaders helps put entrepreneurs right where the action is, in a way that wouldn't be possible without the organizers' extensive network, entrepreneurship experience, and extremely well-organized program," highlighted Co-Founder Christian Leisner. "Joining the Venture Leaders program in 2018 got us introduced to key Boston-based investors including RA Capital that later invested in our Series A."

Co-Founder and CEO Christian Leisner at the Venture Leaders Life Sciences kick-off in 2018