Ascentage Pharma Received US$100 Million Option Payment from Takeda

ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, July 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK), a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing and commercializing both first-in-class and best-in-class therapies for hematological malignancies, announced today that on July 2, 2024, in relation to the Exclusive Option Agreement with Takeda for the third-generation BCR-ABL inhibitor olverembatinib (HQP1351), Ascentage Pharma has received the US$100 million option payment called for by the Exclusive Option Agreement.

On June 14, 2024, Ascentage Pharma and Takeda entered into an Exclusive Option Agreement that granted Takeda an exclusive option to enter into an exclusive license agreement for olverembatinib. The Exclusive Option Agreement calls for Ascentage Pharma to receive an option payment of US$100 million and provides for Ascentage Pharma to be eligible for an option exercise fee and additional potential milestone payments of up to approximately US$1.2 billion and double-digit royalties on annual sales.

About Ascentage Pharma

Ascentage Pharma (6855.HK) is a fully integrated global biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing and commercializing both first-in-class and best-in-class therapies to address global unmet medical needs primarily in hematological malignancies. On October 28, 2019, Ascentage Pharma was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code 6855.HK.

Ascentage Pharma has built a pipeline of 9 clinical-stage drug candidates, including novel, highly potent Bcl-2, and dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors, as well as candidates aimed at IAP and MDM2-p53 pathways, and next-generation TKIs. Ascentage Pharma is also the only company in the world with active clinical programs targeting all three known classes of key apoptosis regulators. The company is conducting more than 40 clinical trials, including 6 global registrational Phase III studies, in the US, Australia, Europe, and China.

Olverembatinib, the company's first lead asset developed for the treatment of drug-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and the company's first approved product in China, has been granted Priority Review Designations and Breakthrough Therapy Designations by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). To date, the drug had been included into the China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL). Furthermore, olverembatinib has been granted Orphan Drug Designations (ODDs) and a Fast Track Designation (FTD) by the US FDA, and an Orphan Designation by the EMA of the EU.

To date, Ascentage Pharma has obtained a total of 16 ODDs from the US FDA and 1 Orphan Designation from the EMA of the EU for 4 of the company's investigational drug candidates. Leveraging its robust R&D capabilities, Ascentage Pharma has built a portfolio of global intellectual property rights and entered into global partnerships with numerous leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies such as Takeda, AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer and Innovent; and research and development relationships with leading research institutions such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan.

The company has built a talented team with global experience in the discovery and development of innovative drugs and is setting up its world-class commercial manufacturing and Sales & Marketing teams. One pivotal aim of Ascentage Pharma is to continuously strengthen its R&D capabilities and accelerate its clinical development programs, in order to fulfil its mission of addressing unmet clinical needs in China and around the world for the benefit of more patients.

Forward-Looking Statements

The forward-looking statements made in this article relate only to the events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, Ascentage Pharma undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. In this article, statements of, or references to, our intentions and expectations or those of any of our Directors or our Company are made as of the date of this article. Any of these intentions and expectations may alter in light of future development.

source: Ascentage Pharma