Alumis and Kaken Pharmaceutical have entered a partnership and licensing agreement for the development, manufacture and commercialisation of the former’s ESK-001 for dermatological indications in Japan.
The agreement includes options to extend the licence to gastrointestinal and rheumatological conditions.
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Kaken will pay Alumis $40m in upfront and near-term co-development payments from 2025 to 2026.
Alumis has the potential to earn additional payments of $140m, depending on milestone achievements and field option fees.
The company is also positioned to obtain tiered royalties on the therapy’s net sales in the country.
Kaken will take charge of the clinical development, regulatory clearances and commercialisation of the therapy within the country. Its contribution will also extend to a part of the worldwide development expenses.
Alumis will retain ESK-001 rights in all other regions.
Alumis CEO and president Martin Babler stated: “This partnership builds on the positive Phase II clinical data of ESK-001, our next-generation oral TYK2 inhibitor, supporting our objectives to unlock its full therapeutic potential and ensure ESK-001 is widely accessible to people with immune-mediated disorders around the world.”
Oral tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor ESK-001 is engineered for correcting immune dysregulation in diseases marked by proinflammatory mediators such as interleukin-23, IL-17, and type 1 interferon.
The therapy is undergoing evaluation in the Phase III ONWARD clinical programme, which includes two parallel global Phase III trials, ONWARD1 and ONWARD2.
These multi-centre trials are designed to assess the therapy’s safety and efficacy in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and includes trial sites in Japan.
The collaboration announcement follows news in February 2025 of a definitive merger agreement between Alumis and Acelyrin, which will result in an all-stock transaction to create a late-stage clinical biopharma company.
