Shionogi out-licenses assets in China

Japanese drugmaker Shionogi (TYO: 4507) has out-licensed Chinese rights for a couple of its promising assets.

Shanghai-based Eddingpharm has bought rights to lusutrombopag, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist that triggers the production of endogenous platelets, while EOC Pharma has in-licensed epertinib, an HER2/EGFR inhibitor, for focused development to treat brain metastisis in advanced metastatic breast cancer patients.

Lusutrombopag, which has already been approved for routine use in the USA, Europe and Japan, is seen as a potentially preferable mode of therapy versus platelet transfusion in China. It has Phase III data in thrombocytopenia-associated with chronic liver disease.