R-Pharm out-licenses molecule for design of anti-cancer drugs to Aspyrian

R-Pharm, one of Russia’s leading drugmakers, has signed an agreement with the USA’s clinical stage biotech firm Aspyrian Therapeutics on the transfer of the rights for the use of one of its investigational molecules by the US company during the development of anti-cancer drugs, reports The Pharma Letter’s local correspondent.

Financial details of the deal are not disclosed. Under the terms of the agreement, Aspyrian, which currently specializes on the development of target antitumor drugs, will pay R-Pharm royalties from the use of its molecule in the US market.

According to Vasily Ignatiev, general director of R-Pharm, currently the molecule is in the second phase of clinical trials. According to him, this is a bio-analogue of cetuximab, the main purpose of which is treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. At the same time there is also a possibility that the drug will be used for the treatment of other cancer localizations.