China-based pharmaceutical giant Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd (SHA: 600276) has signed a significant licensing agreement with US-headquartered Elevar Therapeutics. The deal grants Elevar global exclusive development and commercialization rights to Hengrui’s programmed death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody (mAb) camrelizumab in combination with apatinib for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), excluding Greater China and South Korea.
Financial Terms of the Agreement
Under the terms of the agreement, Elevar is committed to paying Hengrui up to USD 600 million in sales milestones, plus an additional payment upon reaching a certain net sales threshold. Furthermore, Elevar will pay royalties of 20.5% on annual net sales, reflecting the potential commercial value of the combination therapy.
Camrelizumab and Apatinib: Proven Efficacy
Camrelizumab, first approved in China in May 2019, has garnered a total of nine indication approvals, including for liver cancer, lung cancer, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), and lymphoma. Apatinib, a selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), was initially approved in 2014 for advanced gastric cancer that progressed or relapsed after at least two systemic chemotherapies.
Global Clinical Development
Elevar, which holds the rights to develop apatinib outside of China and South Korea, has been jointly advancing a global multi-center Phase III clinical study for the apatinib and camrelizumab combination in HCC with Hengrui since 2018. The combination therapy received approval in China in January 2023 for the first-line treatment of advanced HCC, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind in the country.-Fineline Info & Tech
