Aussie Kazia licenses commercialisation rights for oncology drug to China’s Simcere

Pharma News: Kazia Therapeutics, an oncology-focused drug development company in Australia, entered into a licensing agreement with Simcere Pharmaceutical Group to develop and commercialise Kazia’s investigational new drug, paxalisib, in Greater China.

Simcere will assume responsibility for the development, registration and commercialisation of paxalisib in Greater China. Kazia retains rights to the development and commercialisation of paxalisib in all other territories and will continue to drive forward the GBM AGILE pivotal study as planned, including in China.

Kazia CEO, Dr James Garner, commented “China is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical markets, with specific requirements and opportunities for innovative oncology products. We are delighted to partner with Simcere to secure the commercial success of paxalisib in this critical territory. Simcere’s track record of success is unrivalled, and they bring to paxalisib first-class capabilities in clinical development, regulatory affairs, and commercialisation. We look forward to working closely with our new partners to make paxalisib available for Chinese patients as swiftly as possible.”

Dr Renhong Tang, Senior Vice President at Simcere, added “we are tremendously excited by the potential for paxalisib to make a difference in this very challenging disease. The need for new therapies in brain cancer is significant in China, and we share Kazia’s commitment to bringing forward new treatment options for patients.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Kazia will receive an upfront payment of US$ 11 million (~AU$ 14.2 million). Kazia will also receive contingent milestone payments of up to US$ 281 million (~AU$ 362 million) for glioblastoma, with further milestones payable for indications beyond glioblastoma. Simcere will additionally pay to Kazia mid-teen percentage royalties on commercial sales.

Paxalisib is currently the subject of six additional studies in other forms of brain cancer beyond glioblastoma.

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