Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2019 14:03:41 GMT
ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, April 16, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: RNN), a clinical stage, biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, and BioSense Global LLC, a New Jersey- and Suzhou, China-based biopharmaceutical company, today announced a collaboration and license agreement to advance the development and commercialization of RX-3117 for pancreatic cancer and other cancers in Greater China.
Under the agreement, Rexahn will grant BioSense an exclusive license to develop and commercialize RX-3117 in Greater China. Rexahn will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible to receive additional development, regulatory and commercial milestones up to a total of $226 million contingent on achieving regulatory and commercial goals related to pancreatic cancer and additional indications. Rexahn will also be eligible to receive tiered royalties in the low double digits to mid teens on annual net sales in the territory. The companies will collaborate to develop RX-3117 for pancreatic cancer and other indications. BioSense will fund all activities related to the development and commercialization of RX-3117 in Greater China and will initiate a Phase 2 study to evaluate the drug candidate in up to three additional indications not previously studied by Rexahn.
“Rexahn is focused on developing novel therapies for people with difficult-to-treat cancers. This partnership will enable us to extend the development of RX-3117 to patients in Greater China and also to evaluate RX-3117 in additional indications in collaboration with BioSense,” said Douglas Swirsky, President and CEO of Rexahn. “We are excited to work with the experienced regulatory and development team at BioSense to advance the development of RX-3117 towards regulatory approval in Greater China.”
Andy Li, PhD, President and CEO of BioSense Global, added, “We are delighted to partner with Rexahn to develop RX-3117 for the Greater China markets. Cancer is the leading cause of death in China with over four million new diagnoses and almost three million deaths per year. Prognosis is poor for certain cancers and treatment options are limited. Despite the significant success of immunotherapy, chemotherapy will remain a critical component of treatment regimens for many cancers. With its unique tumor-targeting mechanism, we believe RX-3117 could become a safer, more efficacious yet affordable treatment option to patients and doctors. We are excited to advance the development of RX-3117 for cancers that are especially prevalent among Chinese patients.”
Additional information on the collaboration and license agreement can be found in the Current Report on Form 8-K being filed by Rexahn today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
About RX-3117
RX-3117 is a novel, investigational, oral, small molecule nucleoside compound. Once intracellularly activated (phosphorylated) by UCK2, it is incorporated into the DNA or RNA of cells and inhibits both DNA and RNA synthesis, which induces apoptotic death of tumor cells. Due to the high level of over expression of UCK2 in cancer cells, RX-3117 offers the potential for a targeted anti-cancer therapy with an improved efficacy and safety profile. RX-3117 is currently being studied in a Phase 2a clinical trial in combination with Abraxane® (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) in first line metastatic pancreatic cancer patients and a Phase 2a clinical trial in patients with advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. It has received Orphan Drug designation for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Additional information on RX-3117 can be found at: rexahn.com/cms/portfolio/rx-3117/.
Abraxane is a registered trademark of Abraxis Bioscience, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation.
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