Kinex Pharma To Lead Orascovery Program In China

Kinex Pharma will lead Hanmi Pharma’s Orascovery program development in China.

AsianScientist (Jul. 22, 2013) – Kinex Pharmaceuticals and Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. have signed an agreement for Kinex Pharmaceuticals to lead Hanmi’s Orascovery program development in China.

The latest agreement further strengthens the existing agreement forged in December of 2011. Under the terms of the 2011 agreement, Kinex Pharmaceuticals acquired the rights to develop and commercialize all products derived from the Orascovery program for all indications in the United States, European Union, Eastern Europe, Russia, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

The Orascovery program is based on platform technology initially developed by Hanmi Pharmaceutical, including compound HM30181A, a highly potent and selective P-glycoprotein (PGP) pump inhibitor. Suppression of the PGP pump in the gastrointestinal tract allows certain clinically important compounds, (such as paclitaxel and irinotecan, among others) which would normally be effluxed back into the gastrointestinal tract and excreted, to enter the bloodstream and be bioavailable through oral administration, say the companies.

The current lead products include an oral formulation of paclitaxel, which is in Phase II clinical trials in Korea, and an oral formulation of irinotecan, which has just completed Phase I clinical trials in Korea.

Kinex Pharmaceuticals will assume all development responsibility in the licensed territories. Kinex and Hanmi will also work together to ensure that the product development in various geographic regions will complement each other in overall strategic global product development.

“We are impressed by the Kinex management team and the collaborative effort on both KX01 and the Orascovery program, which have been very successful. Our joint effort in developing a strategic global drug development plan through partnerships has been rewarding. Adding China territory to Kinex territory will further support this global development strategy. The taxanes have demonstrated a strong synergistic effect with KX01, an orally bioavailable dual src kinase/pretubulin inhibitor which Kinex and Hanmi are also collaborating,” said Dr. Jeewoong Son, Senior Vice-President and Head of Innovation R&D at Hanmi.

——

Source: Kinex Pharma.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Asian Scientist Magazine is an award-winning science and technology magazine that highlights R&D news stories from Asia to a global audience. The magazine is published by Singapore-headquartered Wildtype Media Group.

Related Stories from Asian Scientist