CURACLE and Théa Announce Licensing and Collaboration Agreement for the Development and Commercialization of Orally Administered Treatment for Diabetic Macular Edema and Wet-AMD
October 27 2021 - 11:47AM
Business Wire
- Technology licensing and collaboration agreement signed with
Théa, the leading independent European ophthalmology company, for a
‘diabetic macular edema and wet-AMD treatment’ drug candidate.
- Up to $2 billion in total payments, including upfront payment,
payments for development and regulatory milestones, and royalties
anticipated to be paid.
- Technology transfer and collaboration targeting all countries
of the world except Asia.
CURACLE, a Korea-based
biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has entered into
an exclusive license and collaboration agreement with Théa Open
Innovation, the sister company of Théa, Europe’s number one
independent ophthalmic company with a 150-year history, for the
development and commercialization of CURACLE’s CU06-RE, that has
the potential to become the first orally administered treatment for
diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration
(wet-AMD).
Under the terms of the agreement, CURACLE will receive an
upfront payment of $6 million and could receive up to an additional
$157.5 million in potential development, regulatory and sales
milestones, as well as royalties on sales if CU06-RE is
successfully developed, which will entitle CURACLE to receive up to
$2 billion in total payments. Théa and CURACLE will closely
collaborate on the clinical development of this novel oral drug.
CURACLE will be responsible for the Phase I and II clinical studies
with TOI providing both financial and infrastructure support.
Further, under the terms of the agreement, CURACLE will retain the
marketing rights in all Asia countries while Théa will have the
marketing rights in all other countries around the world.
According to Dr. Young Guen Kwon, the founder of CURACLE,
“CU06-RE is expected to be the world’s first `orally administered'
treatment for diabetic macular edema and wet-AMD, and because of
its high efficacy and convenience as an oral treatment, CU06-RE
promises to establish the standard for treatment that reduces the
number of intraocular injection (IVT) administration made possible
through co-administration with anti-VEGF.” Dr. Kwon added that “As
the world’s first vascular endothelial dysfunction blocker
developed with CURACLE’s SOLVADYS platform technology, CU06-RE can
be applied to patients whose symptoms have worsened due to
resistance to anti-VEGF injections, providing great hope for
patients who currently do not have a suitable treatment
option.”
”Through this strategic and collaborative alliance with Théa, a
leading global ophthalmic company, we have been able to accelerate
the development of CU06-RE as the world’s first oral treatment and
the world’s first vascular endothelial dysfunction blocker,” said
Jae Hyeon Ryu, the CEO of CURACLE. "We look forward to providing
innovative treatments faster to the millions of patients with
diabetic macular edema and wet-AMD around the world who are
suffering without an appropriate treatment option,” added Mr.
Ryu.
“We are excited about partnering with CURACLE, a truly
innovative biotechnology company with a game changing technology
platform,” remarked Mr. Jean-Frédéric Chibret, president of Théa.
Mr. Chibret further commented that “through this licensing
collaboration, Théa and CURACLE will provide a new first-in-class
treatment with an alternative and non-invasive route of
administration and most importantly, convenience for patients. This
agreement is in line with the other partnerships that we have set
up over the last two years and further illustrates our will to
build a strong and diversified retina pipeline.”
About CURACLE
CURACLE (KOSDAQ) is a Korea-based clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development,
and commercialization of innovative therapeutics for the treatment
of aged-related vascular and intractable metabolic diseases and
cancers.
Founded in 2016, CURACLE has developed the disease-expressive
screening system, SOLVADYS Platform, which screens substances that
directly convert the pathological characteristics of the capillary
vessels such as leakage, inflammatory activation, and apoptosis
using human organ-specific primary endothelial cells. The SOLVADYS
Platform dramatically improves the efficacy and ease of
administration for acute and chronic conditions that are
accompanied by vascular leakage, inflammation and loss of
endothelial cells.
For more information visit: https://www.curacle.com
About Théa and Théa Open Innovation
Théa is a leading independent European pharmaceutical company
specialized in the research, development, and commercialization of
eye-care products.
Based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, this family-owned company has
continued to expand by opening more than 30 affiliates and offices
in Europe, Russia, North Africa, North and South America. Its
products are available in 75 countries.
Théa Open Innovation (TOI) is a sister company of Théa. TOI's
mission is to set up partnerships with companies and universities
to help bring the most innovative products in ophthalmology to the
market.
For more information visit:
https://www.laboratoires-thea.com/en
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211027005840/en/
Jeonghan Kim CURACLE Co. Ltd jeonghan.kim@curacle.com