China-based pharmaceutical giant Shanghai Pharmaceuticals (HKG: 2607, SHA: 601607) announced a licensing agreement with compatriot firm Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Under the terms, Shanghai Pharma secures exclusive rights (including sub-licensing, manufacturing, development, and sales) to Xuanzhu Bio’s benapenem and plazomicin in Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan).
Deal Financials
The total deal value for benapenem is RMB 266 million (USD 39.7 million), while plazomicin is valued at RMB 174 million (USD 26 million). Upfront payments are RMB 14 million (USD 2.08 million) for benapenem and RMB 7 million (USD 1.04 million) for plazomicin. Shanghai Pharma will become the exclusive Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) for both drugs in the region.
Drug Profiles
Benapenem is a Category 1.1 carbapenem antibiotic that inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis by acting on penicillin binding proteins (PBPs), leading to bacterial death. It has completed a Phase II clinical study in China for complicated urinary tract infections, meeting clinical endpoints.
Plazomicin, a new-generation aminoglycoside derivative, works by inhibiting bacterial protein synthesis through binding to the 30S subunit of bacterial ribosomes. The drug received US marketing approval in 2018 for treating last-line complicated urinary tract infections caused by multi-drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.-Fineline Info & Tech
