9 January 2018 - - Shanghai, China-based biopharmaceutical company Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd. (SSE: 600276) and Menlo Park, California-based biotechnology company Arcutis, Inc. have signed an exclusive option and license agreement for the development and commercialization of topical applications of Hengrui's investigational drug, SHR0302, for the treatment of dermatology disorders, the companies said.
Arcutis obtains exclusive rights to conduct clinical development and pursue US, EU, and Japanese license for the commercialization of a topical JAK inhibitor for dermatology disorders.
Hengrui is eligible to receive up to USD223 m, including upfront and regulatory and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties.
SHR0302, a highly potent, selective JAK inhibitor designed to offer a greater therapeutic window through high selectivity, high potency, and an extended tissue half-life, is currently being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical trials for rheumatoid arthritis in China.
JAK-STAT signaling, which plays a critical role in immune and hematopoietic function, is an intracellular pathway upon which numerous different proinflammatory signals converge.
Hengrui has completed a Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers in China and is currently pursuing clinical development of SHR0302 as a systemic therapy for a range of autoimmune disorders.
Jiangsu Hengrui, with annual net sales of over USD 1.6bn in 2016, currently has 3 programs under China NDA as well as 21 new molecular entities in clinical development in China, US, and Australia, across oncology, anesthesiology and pain management, immunology and inflammation, and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Arcutis focuses on harnessing the power of biotechnology to develop and commercialize novel medical dermatology treatments. The company's strategy is to develop a diversified pipeline of novel therapies that address areas of high unmet medical need in the treatment of medical dermatology diseases and disorders.