Merck & Co. Inc. is getting the exclusive, global rights from Orion Corp. to develop the oral prostate therapy, ODM-208, which the two companies hammered out a deal for in 2022. Orion could now bring in up to $30 million in development milestones, as much as $625 million in regulatory milestone payments, and up to $975 million in sales-based milestones. The deal adds up to $1.6 billion for Espoo, Finland-based Orion. Orion, which has a number of other deals with other companies, could also receive annually tiered royalty payments ranging from a low double-digit rate up to a rate in the low 20s on net sales for any commercialized licensed product.
Yuhan Corp., of Seoul, South Korea, has inked a ₩150 billion (US$108.6 million) deal with Korean biotech Ubix Therapeutics Inc. to gain exclusive global rights to UBX-103, Ubix’s oral small-molecule androgen receptor degrader for prostate cancer. Yuhan also announced July 1 that it gained the U.S. FDA’s nod to start a phase I study of a Gaucher disease drug candidate called YH-35995.
Uppthera Inc. has described proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) compounds comprising an E3 ubiquitin ligase-binding moiety coupled to a serine/threonine-protein kinase PLK1 (STPK13) targeting moiety through a linker. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and neurological disorders.
Scientists at RMW Cho Group Ltd. and Venner Shipley LLP have divulged chlorin K derivatives acting as photosensitizers reported to be used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photodynamic diagnosis of cancer.
Scientists at Aten Porus Lifesciences Pvt Ltd. and Avammune Therapeutics Inc. have synthesized double-stranded RNA-specific adenosine deaminase (ADAR; ADAR1; IFI-4) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Di’ao Group Chengdu Pharmaceutical Co Ltd. has disclosed DNA-directed RNA polymerase, mitochondrial (POLRMT; MtRPOL) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Circle Pharma Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA for CID-078, a first-in-class cyclin A/B RxL inhibitor. Pending approval, the company plans to initiate a phase I trial in patients with advanced solid tumor malignancies.
SCG Cell Therapy Pte Ltd. has gained FDA clearance of its IND application to initiate a phase I/II trial of SCG-142, a novel next-generation human papillomavirus (HPV) E7-specific T-cell receptor-engineered T (TCR T)-cell therapy for patients with HPV-associated solid tumors.