– Aurinia to receive $50 million U.S. upfront payment in addition to up to $50 million U.S. in regulatory and reimbursement milestone payments –
– Agreement includes royalties of up to 20 percent on net sales payable to Aurinia –
VICTORIA, Canada & ROCKVILLE, MA, USA I December 17, 2020 I Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AUPH / TSX:AUP) (“Aurinia” or the “Company”) today announced it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the development and commercialization of oral voclosporin for the treatment of Lupus Nephritis (LN) in the European Union (EU), Japan, as well as the United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, Norway, Belarus, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Ukraine.
As part of the agreement, Aurinia will receive an upfront cash payment of $50 million U.S. and has the potential to receive up to $50 million U.S. in regulatory and reimbursement milestone payments. Aurinia will receive tiered royalties ranging from 10 to 20 percent (dependent on achievement of sale milestones) on net sales upon commercialization, along with additional milestone payments based on the attainment of certain annual sales by Otsuka.
Voclosporin is a novel, investigational, orally administered treatment developed to treat patients with LN, a chronic, progressive inflammation of the kidneys that is one of the most serious complications of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
The agreement leverages Otsuka’s well-recognized expertise in rare kidney diseases to underscore Aurinia’s commitment to expanding global access to voclosporin for the treatment of LN. Otsuka expects to file a marketing authorization application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Q2 2021 and will also manage the filing of voclosporin for LN with Pharmaceuticals Medical Devices Agency (PDMA) in Japan at a later date. Voclosporin is currently under review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with an assigned Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of January 22, 2021.
“Otsuka, with strong capabilities in nephrology and rare disease, is an ideal strategic partner to introduce voclosporin in Europe and Japan,” says Peter Greenleaf, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals. “This collaboration will provide Aurinia with additional non-dilutive funds to focus on the successful U.S. launch of voclosporin and support plans to build our pipeline, while ensuring more lupus nephritis patients around the world can benefit from this potentially life-saving medication.”
Makoto Inoue, President and Representative Director of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. commented, “Effective treatments for lupus nephritis are currently limited and a new treatment option such as voclosporin would be welcomed. We are pleased to enter the collaboration with Aurinia and look forward to delivering this drug to patients in Japan and Europe.”
About Lupus Nephritis
LN is an inflammation of the kidney caused by SLE and represents a serious progression of SLE. SLE is a chronic, complex and often disabling disorder. The disease is highly heterogeneous, affecting a wide range of organs and tissue systems. Unlike SLE, LN has straightforward disease outcomes, where an early reduction in proteinuria correlates with positive long-term outcomes. In patients with LN, renal damage results in proteinuria and/or hematuria and a decrease in renal function as evidenced by reduced eGFR, and increased serum creatinine levels. LN is debilitating and costly and if poorly controlled, LN can lead to permanent and irreversible tissue damage within the kidney, resulting in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), thus making LN a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.
About Voclosporin
Voclosporin is a novel therapy in development for patients with LN, an inflammation of the kidney which is one of the most serious complications of the autoimmune disease SLE. If left untreated, LN can lead to irreversible kidney damage, kidney failure or even death. Through an extensive clinical program, voclosporin has demonstrated superiority to the standard-of-care for LN.
About Aurinia
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies to treat targeted patient populations that are impacted by serious diseases with a high unmet medical need. The Company is currently seeking FDA approval of voclosporin for the potential treatment of LN. The Company’s head office is in Victoria, British Columbia and its U.S. commercial hub is in Rockville, Maryland. The Company focuses its development efforts globally.
About Otsuka
Otsuka Pharmaceutical is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: “Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide.” Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products for the treatment of diseases and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.
In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging area of mental health and has research programs on several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a “big venture” company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., based in Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 47,000 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 13 billion in 2019.
All Otsuka stories start by taking the road less travelled. Learn more about Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company on its global website at https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en.
SOURCE: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals
Post Views: 24
– Aurinia to receive $50 million U.S. upfront payment in addition to up to $50 million U.S. in regulatory and reimbursement milestone payments –
– Agreement includes royalties of up to 20 percent on net sales payable to Aurinia –
VICTORIA, Canada & ROCKVILLE, MA, USA I December 17, 2020 I Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AUPH / TSX:AUP) (“Aurinia” or the “Company”) today announced it has entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. for the development and commercialization of oral voclosporin for the treatment of Lupus Nephritis (LN) in the European Union (EU), Japan, as well as the United Kingdom, Russia, Switzerland, Norway, Belarus, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Ukraine.
As part of the agreement, Aurinia will receive an upfront cash payment of $50 million U.S. and has the potential to receive up to $50 million U.S. in regulatory and reimbursement milestone payments. Aurinia will receive tiered royalties ranging from 10 to 20 percent (dependent on achievement of sale milestones) on net sales upon commercialization, along with additional milestone payments based on the attainment of certain annual sales by Otsuka.
Voclosporin is a novel, investigational, orally administered treatment developed to treat patients with LN, a chronic, progressive inflammation of the kidneys that is one of the most serious complications of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
The agreement leverages Otsuka’s well-recognized expertise in rare kidney diseases to underscore Aurinia’s commitment to expanding global access to voclosporin for the treatment of LN. Otsuka expects to file a marketing authorization application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Q2 2021 and will also manage the filing of voclosporin for LN with Pharmaceuticals Medical Devices Agency (PDMA) in Japan at a later date. Voclosporin is currently under review with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with an assigned Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of January 22, 2021.
“Otsuka, with strong capabilities in nephrology and rare disease, is an ideal strategic partner to introduce voclosporin in Europe and Japan,” says Peter Greenleaf, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aurinia Pharmaceuticals. “This collaboration will provide Aurinia with additional non-dilutive funds to focus on the successful U.S. launch of voclosporin and support plans to build our pipeline, while ensuring more lupus nephritis patients around the world can benefit from this potentially life-saving medication.”
Makoto Inoue, President and Representative Director of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. commented, “Effective treatments for lupus nephritis are currently limited and a new treatment option such as voclosporin would be welcomed. We are pleased to enter the collaboration with Aurinia and look forward to delivering this drug to patients in Japan and Europe.”
About Lupus Nephritis
LN is an inflammation of the kidney caused by SLE and represents a serious progression of SLE. SLE is a chronic, complex and often disabling disorder. The disease is highly heterogeneous, affecting a wide range of organs and tissue systems. Unlike SLE, LN has straightforward disease outcomes, where an early reduction in proteinuria correlates with positive long-term outcomes. In patients with LN, renal damage results in proteinuria and/or hematuria and a decrease in renal function as evidenced by reduced eGFR, and increased serum creatinine levels. LN is debilitating and costly and if poorly controlled, LN can lead to permanent and irreversible tissue damage within the kidney, resulting in end-stage renal disease (ESRD), thus making LN a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.
About Voclosporin
Voclosporin is a novel therapy in development for patients with LN, an inflammation of the kidney which is one of the most serious complications of the autoimmune disease SLE. If left untreated, LN can lead to irreversible kidney damage, kidney failure or even death. Through an extensive clinical program, voclosporin has demonstrated superiority to the standard-of-care for LN.
About Aurinia
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies to treat targeted patient populations that are impacted by serious diseases with a high unmet medical need. The Company is currently seeking FDA approval of voclosporin for the potential treatment of LN. The Company’s head office is in Victoria, British Columbia and its U.S. commercial hub is in Rockville, Maryland. The Company focuses its development efforts globally.
About Otsuka
Otsuka Pharmaceutical is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: “Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide.” Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products for the treatment of diseases and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.
In pharmaceuticals, Otsuka is a leader in the challenging area of mental health and has research programs on several under-addressed diseases including tuberculosis, a significant global public health issue. These commitments illustrate how Otsuka is a “big venture” company at heart, applying a youthful spirit of creativity in everything it does.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., based in Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 47,000 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 13 billion in 2019.
All Otsuka stories start by taking the road less travelled. Learn more about Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company on its global website at https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en.
SOURCE: Aurinia Pharmaceuticals
Post Views: 24
