Licensing Deal

AM-Pharma And Kyowa Kirin Sign Exclusive License Agreement For Commercialization Of Ilofotase Alfa In Japan

September 09,2021 09:28 AM
- By Admin

  • AM-Pharma to receive EUR 20 million upfront payment, and EUR 30 million related to milestones prior to regulatory submission, and up to EUR 195 million upon submission, NHI price listing and sales milestone payments bringing the overall deal value to EUR 245 million.
  • Kyowa Kirin gains exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ilofotase alfa in Japan.

UTRECHT, The Netherlands & TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM-Pharma B.V., an emerging leader focused on developing therapeutics for severe medical conditions, and Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (TSE: 4151, Kyowa Kirin), a global specialty pharmaceutical company that strives to create new value through the pursuit of advances in life sciences and technologies, today announced that they have entered into an exclusive license agreement under which Kyowa Kirin gains the rights to develop and commercialize ilofotase alfa, AM-Pharma’s proprietary recombinant human alkaline phosphatase. Ilofotase alfa is currently being evaluated in the global pivotal REVIVAL Phase III clinical study as the potential first disease-altering treatment for sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI). In July of this year, AM-Pharma announced the enrollment of the first patient in Japan as part of the ongoing REVIVAL trial.

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“Kyowa Kirin is a leading Japanese specialty pharmaceutical company deeply rooted in science that shares our commitment to addressing high unmet medical needs. Based on the number of successful international partnerships they have, they are the ideal partner to support the commercialization of ilofotase alfa in Japan,” stated Erik van den Berg, Chief Executive Officer at AM-Pharma. “This is a significant milestone for AM-Pharma as this agreement will optimize the commercialization of ilofotase alfa in the Japanese market and expedite our ability to bring our therapeutic candidate to a substantial patient population in Japan post-approval.”

“As an organization centered around research, development and partnerships with innovative drug discovery organizations around the globe, we are excited to initiate this relationship with AM-Pharma to potentially improve the lives of patients and families affected by sepsis-associated acute kidney injury,” added Tomohiro Sudo, Executive Officer, Head of Global Product Strategy Department at Kyowa Kirin. “Ilofotase alfa has demonstrated its therapeutic potential in AM-Pharma’s Phase II STOP-AKI study, and we look forward to being a strategic partner supporting the commercialization and thereby patient access of ilofotase alfa upon successful completion of the pivotal REVIVAL study.”

Under the terms of the agreement, AM-Pharma will receive EUR 20 million upfront payment, and EUR 30 million related to milestones prior to regulatory submission, and up to EUR 195 million upon submission, NHI price listing and sales milestone payments bringing the overall deal value to EUR 245 million. In addition, AM-Pharma is entitled to tiered double-digit royalties on sales and a drug supply fee. Kyowa Kirin will gain the exclusive right to develop and commercialize ilofotase alfa in Japan. AM-Pharma is responsible for the completion of the REVIVAL pivotal Phase III study, as well as a Phase I pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability study in Japan and drug supply, whereas Kyowa Kirin will be responsible for the regulatory approval process and commercialization of ilofotase alfa in Japan.

About REVIVAL

The REVIVAL trial is a Phase III pivotal study evaluating AM-Pharma’s proprietary recombinant alkaline phosphatase, ilofotase alfa, for the treatment of patients with SA-AKI. The primary endpoint of the study is all-cause mortality 28 days post-treatment start with ilofotase alfa at a dose of 1.6 mg/kg. In the Phase II study of ilofotase alfa, the patient group treated with this dose experienced a statistically significant 46% relative reduction in mortality compared to the group treated with placebo (p= 0.022). REVIVAL was initiated in November 2020 and is enrolling up to 1,600 patients in North America, Europe and Japan. As per the study protocol, four interim analyses for futility and/or efficacy will be conducted when enrollment hits certain levels and the first futility analysis will occur when 400 patients have been treated.