BRIEF—Alchemedicine and Asahi Kasei Pharma ink exclusive license deal

Japanese firm Asahi Kasei Pharma signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Ibaraki-based chemical drug developer Alchemedicine to buy the global development and commercial rights for its endothelin A receptor antagonist.

The deal is expected to be worth as much as 33.9 billion yen ($251.8 million), including upfront payment and regulatory and commercial milestones.

Asahi will also pay royalties depending on sales.

The selective Endothelin A receptor antagonist is a small molecule derived from Alchemedicine’s HiSAP platform and is expected to contribute to treatments for various refractory diseases which are difficult to control such as chronic kidney diseases.

It has indicated a potent inhibition and high selectivity for Endothelin A receptor, and shown an outstanding efficacy in animal models for chronic kidney diseases.