Celltrion and Yonsei University Health System Team up to Develop New Drugs for Cerebrovascular Diseases
31 Mai 2018 - 7:42AM
Business Wire
- Reinforcing the new biopharmaceutical
pipeline: Joint development and license-in agreement with Yonsei
University Health System
- Celltrion is pushing for global new
drug development with continuous R&D efforts
On May 30, Celltrion (KRX:068270) signed an agreement with
Yonsei University Health System on the joint development and
license-in of Fc-Saxatilin, a candidate drug for ischemic strokes
in a bid to develop new biopharmaceuticals for cerebrovascular
diseases.
Under the agreement, Celltrion and Yonsei University Health
System will conduct joint development for the optimization of the
Fc-Saxatilin molecule, after which Celltrion will have an option
for the exclusive worldwide license to conduct clinical trials, to
obtain approvals, and to commercialize the drug.
Fc-Saxatilin, which is a new molecule developed by Professor Ji
Hoe Heo-led team of the Severance Integrative Research Institute
for Cerebral & Cardiovascular Diseases of Yonsei University
with funding by the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Healthcare
Technology Research and Development Project, is expected to have
superior efficacy and safety to existing treatments in terms of
thrombolytic effect and lower side effects (cerebral hemorrhage) in
patients with ischemic stroke (cerebral infarction) caused by the
blocking of cerebral blood vessel.
The global market size of the diagnosis and treatment drugs for
ischemic stroke is expected to grow 6.8% each year and to reach an
estimated KRW 2.3 trillion by 20201. Currently, the only drug for
ischemic stroke approved by major regulatory authorities is the
thrombolytic agent Activase® (Alteplase) developed and marketed by
Genentech in the U.S. If Celltrion succeeds in the joint
development and commercialization of the new biopharmaceutical, the
drug may be used together with or replace the current thrombolytic
agent Activase®.
An executive of Celltrion said: “In order to bolster our
next-generation pipeline, in addition to the development of
antibody biosimilars, we have continued efforts to explore platform
technologies and new molecules in relation to the development of
new biopharmaceuticals and synthetic drugs.” He added: “Through the
agreement with Yonsei University Health System, we will push for
open innovation to secure new drug pipelines such as for
cerebrovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, breast cancer,
etc.”
About Celltrion, Inc.
Headquartered in Incheon, Korea, Celltrion is a leading
biopharmaceutical company, specializing in research, development
and manufacture of biosimilar and innovative drugs. Celltrion
strives to provide more affordable biosimilar mAbs to patients who
previously had limited access to advanced therapeutics. Celltrion
received FDA and EC’s approval for INFLECTRA® and Remsima®,
respectively, which is the world’s first mAb biosimilar to receive
approval from a regulatory agency in a developed country. For more
information, visit www.celltrion.com.
Yonsei University Health System
Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) was founded in 1885 as
the first modern medical institution in Korea. YUHS includes 3
colleges (Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing), graduate schools, and 4
hospitals named as Severance hospitals. The hospitals have around
3,700 beds and see around 3 million outpatients and 1 million
inpatients annually. Based on more than 130 years of experience in
medicine and scientific manpower in research fields, YUHS strives
to achieve its goal of becoming the medical research hub through
close cooperation.
1 TMR report 2014
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Celltrion, Inc.Gunn Lee, +82 32 850
5168Gunhyuk.lee@celltrion.comorHeewon Park, +82 32 850
5356Heewon.park@celltrion.com