RedHill Biopharma Buys Phase II Oncology Drug MESUPRON From WILEX - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (RDHL) and WILEX AG, a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, based in Munich, Germany, have signed an exclusive license agreement for the oncology drug candidate MESUPRON, RedHill Biopharma said.

The MESUPRON small molecule (INN: Upamostat) is a proprietary, first-in-class, urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) inhibitor administered by oral capsule. WILEX has completed several clinical studies with MESUPRON in different indications, including two Phase II proof of concept studies for pancreatic cancer and metastatic breast cancer.

As per the terms of the agreement, RedHill acquired the exclusive development and commercialization rights to MESUPRON, excluding China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, for all indications. RedHill will pay WILEX an upfront payment of $1 million and potential tiered royalties on net revenues, ranging from mid-teens up to 30%. RedHill will be responsible for all development, regulatory and commercialization of MESUPRON.

MESUPRON inhibits the uPA system, which has been shown to play a key role in tumor cell growth, invasion and the metastasis process. High uPA levels are associated with poor prognosis in various solid tumor cancers, such as pancreatic, gastric, breast and prostate cancers. MESUPRON presents a promising new non-cytotoxic approach to cancer therapy with several potential mechanisms of action to inhibit both tumor metastasis and growth.