Yuhan, a South Korean pharmaceutical company, and its partner Janssen Biotech, a subsidiary of US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J; NYSE: JNJ), have reportedly decided to halt the development of a next-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This strategic decision has led to a realignment of the collaboration agreement between the two firms, resulting in the termination of the development program for the next-generation EGFR candidate.
According to reports, Janssen and Yuhan have concluded that the efficacy of current treatments reduces the necessity for a fourth-generation EGFR inhibitor. This is attributed to the significantly lower incidence of EGFR secondary resistance mutations in patients treated with Yuhan/Janssen’s third-generation EGFR inhibitor Leclaza/Lazcluse (lazertinib) and Janssen’s bispecific antibody Rybrevant (amivantamab), which targets both EGFR and MET. The combination therapy of lazertinib and amivantamab received its first approval in the United States in August of this year for the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC with EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations.
The partnership between the two companies was established in 2018 for the development of lazertinib. At that time, Janssen invested USD 50 million and committed to USD 1.2 billion in potential milestone payments to secure development and commercialization rights for the drug outside of South Korea.- Flcube.com
