MADRID, October 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
PharmaMar (MCE: PHM) has announced today a licensing agreement with Boryung Pharm to commercialize the marine-derived
anticancer drug Aplidin® (plitidepsin) in South Korea. Under the terms of the
agreement, PharmaMar will receive an upfront payment along with royalties and additional remunerations upon achieving regulatory
milestones with Aplidin®. PharmaMar will retain exclusive production rights and will supply the finished product to
Boryung Pharm for commercial use.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150203/727958-b )
Aplidin® is PharmaMar's second anticancer drug is currently under development for the treatment of multiple myeloma
along with relapsed or refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. The company announced in March
2016 that plitidepsin has shown positive results in a pivotal Phase III clinical trial (ADMYRE) for multiple
myeloma[i].
"The partnership with Boryung Pharm will help in the commercialization in
South Korea of plitidepsin, developed to tackle cancer. This will be
our third licensing agreement in Asia," said Luis Mora, Managing Director of PharmaMar's Oncology Business Unit. "We are looking forward to
working with our partner in Korea and to advancing in the upcoming regulatory steps that will lead
to future sales of Aplidin®," he added.
Boryung Pharm Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tae-Hong Choi said, "We look forward to
working with PharmaMar to ensure this valuable multiple myeloma therapy is available as soon as possible to
patients in Korea." He added, "Despite remarkable advances in oncology over recent years, multiple
myeloma has still remained an incurable illness. Therefore Aplidin®
may be highly valuable as a new curable guideline for this difficult
cancer."
About APLIDIN® (plitidepsin)
Plitidepsin is an investigational anticancer agent of marine origin, originally obtained from the ascidian Aplidium
albicans. It specifically binds to the eEF1A2 and targets the non-canonical role of this protein, resulting in tumor cell
death via apoptosis (programed death). Plitidepsin is currently in clinical development for hematological cancers, including a
Phase Ib trial in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma as a triple combination of plitidepsin, bortezomib and dexamethasone,
and a Phase II study in relapsed or refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. A Phase III trial in multiple myeloma relapsed
or refractory has been completed. Plitidepsin has received orphan drug designation in the European Union and the United States of America.
i. https://www.pharmamar.com/2016/03/31/aplidin-shows-positive-results-in-pivotal-phase-iii-clinical-trial-for-multiple-myeloma/
Paula Fernández
Media Relations (+34-638-79-62-15) and Investor Relations (+34-914444500)
SOURCE PharmaMar