Chugai and Alebund Enter into Option and License Agreement for EOS789 under Development for Hyperphosphatemia
Saturday, July 10, 2021
Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Alebund Pharmaceuticals (Hong Kong) Limited, announced that they have entered into an option and license agreement regarding Chugai’s EOS789, an investigational agent under development for hyperphosphatemia.
EOS789 is an oral inhibitor of phosphate transporters, NaPi-IIb, PiT-1, PiT-2, which was discovered by Chugai and studied in Phase I clinical trial. After entering into the agreement, Alebund plans to conduct an early stage efficacy clinical trial to further evaluate EOS789. If Alebund exercises the option, Chugai will grant Alebund an exclusive license to develop, manufacture, and commercialize EOS789 for all indications worldwide including Japan.
“We are delighted to conclude an option and license agreement for EOS789 with Alebund, given their expertise in renal diseases and drug development experience with hyperphosphatemia,” said Dr. Osamu Okuda, Chugai's President and CEO. “EOS789 is designed to suppress absorption of phosphate in the gastrointestinal tract by inhibiting multiple phosphate transporters and to reduce concentration of phosphate in the blood. I hope that the collaboration with Alebund will lead to prove the concept of EOS789 and to accelerate its development, making this potential treatment available for patients as soon as possible.”
Dr. Gavin Xia, Co-Founder and CEO of Alebund, said, “Hyperphosphatemia is a significant problem in dialysis patients and many of them cannot adequately maintain serum phosphate level despite current treatment. Alebund has been developing a new generation of phosphate binder with lower daily dose and better GI compliance than current standard-of-care. EOS789, through a unique mechanism to treat hyperphosphatemia, provides a novel approach to address this serious indication. The addition of EOS789 to our existing pipeline will provide a total solution and more comprehensive offering for dialysis patients with hyperphosphatemia.”
Chugai will receive an upfront payment for this agreement. In addition, if Alebund exercises the above option, Chugai will receive a payment, as well as milestone payments based on achievement of certain predetermined milestones, and royalty payment after successful launch as an approved pharmaceutical product.
