PharmaMar has entered into an exclusive license and commercialization agreement with the pharmaceutical company TTY Biopharm to market and distribute the drug candidate APLIDIN® (plitidepsin) in Taiwan. Under the terms of the agreement, PharmaMar will receive an upfront payment, royalties and additional remunerations for regulatory milestones achieved by APLIDIN® (plitidepsin). PharmaMar will retain exclusive production rights and will supply the finished product to TTY Biopharm for commercial use.
APLIDIN® (plitidepsin) is PharmaMar´s second anticancer drug candidate obtained from a marine organism and is currently under development for the treatment of multiple myeloma and a type of T cell lymphoma. The company announced in June that patient recruitment of the international pivotal Phase III trial (ADMYRE) for APLIDIN® (plitidepsin) in refractory/relapsed multiple myeloma was successfully completed[i].
"Thousands of patients are living with this disease, and it is our commitment and dedication to bring a novel and first-in-class therapy to patients in need. For this mission, we are delighted to collaborate in a partnership with one of the long-standing leaders in the field of oncology and hematology in Taiwan," said Heiner Pieper, Vice-President of Business Development & Licensing at PharmaMar.
"Our understanding of the Taiwanese market and our capabilities to market plitidepsin along with the therapeutic value of this innovative compound will be factored into the success of this partnership," said Hsiao Ying-Chun, Chairman of TTY Biopharm. "We are hoping to start contributing to the well-being of these patients by providing clinicians with a novel drug."