Simcere Zaiming, an oncology company of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, has entered a collaboration with Shenzhen TargetRx, a Sino-US joint venture developing anti-cancer drugs.
The partnership is focused on developing and commercialising TargetRx’s anti-tumour candidate TGRX-326, an ALK/ROS1 dual receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
Under the terms of the agreement, the China-based biopharmaceutical company will acquire exclusive commercial rights to TGRX-326 in Mainland China.
The rights include, but are not limited to marketing, promotion, strategy formulation, adjustment, and the right to obtain relevant benefits from TGRX-326.
TargetRx will receive an initial payment of more than $20m, and TargetRx will compensate Simcere Zaiming for promotional services.
Simcere Zaiming chairman Renhong Tang said: “We are pleased to collaborate with TargetRx on novel dual-targeted therapy for lung cancer, a major malignancy that Simcere Zaiming strategically focuses on.
“This partnership will further enhance our innovative product portfolio. ALK/ROS1 fusion is a critical genetic mutation in non-small cell lung cancer. The advancement of targeted therapies has significantly improved survival rates for these patients.
“However, there remains a substantial need for new treatments with better efficacy and the ability to overcome drug resistance. We look forward to working closely with TargetRx to provide Chinese lung cancer patients with more effective treatment options as soon as possible.”
TGRX-326 is a third-generation ALK inhibitor independently developed by TargetRx, a high-tech pharmaceutical company focused on developing targeted therapies for cancer patients.
It is a potent and highly selective small molecule inhibitor designed to target ALK and c-ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs).
The drug holds significant therapeutic potential for ALK/ROS1 fusion gene-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, especially those with multiple ALK-resistant mutations.
TGRX-326 showed superior anti-tumour activity and a favourable safety profile in preclinical studies and a Phase 1 clinical trial.
Furthermore, the small molecule effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier, showing superior efficacy in NSCLC patients with brain metastases.
TargetRx chairman Yihan Wang said: “TGRX-326 is a potentially best-in-class novel anti-tumour molecule independently developed by TargetRx.
“It is a third-generation ALK inhibitor in late-stage clinical development which may bring a better option for patients. We believe that with the support of Simcere Zaiming, we will be able to bring this product quickly to the market.”
