Xuanzhu in-licenses SignalChem's SLC-391 in Greater China region

China’s Sihuan Pharmaceutical, through its subsidiary Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical, has entered into an exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement with Canada-based SignalChem Lifesciences for the clinical development and commercialization of SLC-391, a potent and selective AXL targeting inhibitor, in the Greater China region.

Under the terms of the agreement, Xuanzhu will pay SignalChem an upfront fee of $13,000,000). Additional development milestones and royalties have also been committed. The exclusive rights for SLC-391 for the field of oncology is for the Greater China region (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan).

AXL is a member of TAM (Tyro3, AXL, Mer) family of receptor tyrosine kinases. AXL along with its ligand GAS6 (growth arrest-specific gene 6) is highly expressed and activated in many malignant tumors, such as acute myeloid leukemia, kidney, pancreatic, breast, lung and ovarian cancer, etc. As one of the crucial signaling pathways promoting tumor growth and metastasis, immune escape and drug resistance, GAS6-AXL pathway is considered to be an attractive target for cancer treatment and has attracted widespread attention.

Will advance pipeline in solid tumors and hematomoa

"The agreement with SignalChem will further advance Xuanzhu's pipeline in the solid tumor and hematoma space. The results from pre-clinical and Phase I clinical development demonstrated SLC-391 superiority not only as SLC-391 has prominent single-agent activities in multiple solid and hematological tumors but also can potentially be administered with a variety of drugs under development at Xuanzhu. Both parties will use their respective resources to accelerate the clinical approval of SLC-391 in China,” said Xu Yanjun, chairwoman of Xuanzhu, adding: “Xuanzhu will continue to expand its efforts to develop and commercialize innovative drugs in the oncology field."

“Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Sihuan Pharmaceutical, is a highly innovative and progressive company,” commented by Jun Yan, the chairman and president of SignalChem. “We are very pleased to establish a partnership with Xuanzhu. This licensing agreement is of great significance for SignalChem to further validate and expand SLC-391’s clinical superiority. This agreement will accelerate SLC-391’s development timeline to reach the market and provide more effective treatment alternatives for patients with cancer,” he noted.