À̹ÌÁö È®´ë Voronoi, Inc., a Korean drug discovery company dedicated to advancing novel targeted therapeutics, has entered into an exclusive license agreement with ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a Nasdaq-listed oncology pharmaceutical company, for the development and commercialization of Voronoi¡¯s promising inhibitor designed to selectively target epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
The deal value is worth up to $621 million with an upfront payment of $13 million, the company said.
Under the terms of the agreement, Voronoi would also receive mid-single-digit to low double-digit royalties based on annual net sales if commercialization goes successful. ORIC secured exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Voronoi¡¯s EGFR and HER2 exon 20 inhibitor program worldwide excluding Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). ORIC expects to initiate a global Phase 1/2 clinical trial will be initiated during the second half of 2021.
There is no available drug targeting NSCLC caused by exon 20 insertion mutations in non-small cell lung cancer and solid tumors.
Voronoi¡¯s investigational lung cancer drug is expected to be effective because it acts precisely and selectively on the carcinogenic mutation. In addition, the drug shows higher brain permeability than other lung cancer treatment candidates. The drug is emerging as hope for many lung cancer patients as 30 to 40% of those patients with exon 20 insertion mutant EGFR suffer from brain metastasis. As an oral therapy, the drug is also expected to improve patient convenience.
¡°We are thrilled to be partnering with ORIC to further develop our potential best-in-class EGFR/HER2 exon 20 inhibitor program,¡± said Kim Daekwon, chief executive officer of Voronoi. ¡°With ORIC¡¯s focus on developing targeted cancer therapies and their team¡¯s prior experience in leading efforts for multiple global regulatory approvals for mutant NSCLC and tumor-agnostic indications, ORIC is an ideal partner to further the development of this program.¡±
¡°Voronoi¡¯s highly selective and brain penetrant inhibitor is well aligned with our mission of overcoming cancer resistance by leveraging our expertise in precision oncology and key tumor dependencies,¡± said Jacob Chacko, M.D., president and chief executive officer of ORIC. ¡°We believe our partnership with Voronoi may address an area of significant unmet medical need for which no FDA-approved therapies exist today.¡±
ORIC is a California-based Nasdaq-listed pharmaceutical company founded in 2014 by executives with track records of developing NSCLC and prostate cancer drugs at global big pharmas such as Roche, Pfizer, Genentech, and Biogen.
Ignyta founded by ORIC¡¯s key members was acquired by Roche for $1.7 billion in 2018 after developing entrectinib, a ROS1 mutant non-small cell lung cancer treatment. ORIC is currently developing targeted treatments for prostate cancer and other solid tumors.
By Minu Kim
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