Apollomics and LaunXP have signed an agreement to develop and commercialise the former’s c-Met inhibitor vebreltinib combined with an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor (EGFRi) for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Asian territories excluding Macau, mainland China and Hong Kong.
LaunXP will pay Apollomics $10m upfront within 60 days of the agreement date.
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Apollomics is also qualified for potential regulatory and pre-commercial milestones that could total $50m, and royalties on net product sales.
LaunXP will take the lead on developing the therapy and EGFRi combo for NSCLC treatment within its designated territories.
Apollomics CEO Dr Guo-Liang Yu stated: “We are delighted to partner with LaunXP, who share our vision for the commercial opportunity for vebreltinib. EGFRi is currently the frontline treatment for many patients with NSCLC, and combining it with our c-Met inhibitor vebreltinib is expected to transform the standard of care.
“We believe that LaunXP can advance this development programme rapidly in this patient population, bringing us closer to potentially improving outcomes for many patients with NSCLC.”
The orally bioavailable selective inhibitor targets the hepatocyte growth factor/c-mesenchymal epithelial transition factor (MET) axis’ aberrant activation, which is involved in the tumour’s growth and resistance to specific therapies.
It has shown promising tumour inhibitory effects in preclinical models.
LaunXP president and chairman Dr Chiu-Heng Chen stated: “We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with Apollomics. We believe the preclinical and clinical data supporting the combination of a c-MET inhibitor with an EGFRi is compelling.
“By delaying the emergence of mutations which cause EGFRi resistance, we hope to demonstrate clinically that better patient outcomes can be achieved.”
Apollomics is exploring its use as a monotherapy across several types of tumours and evaluating the therapy in conjunction with other new treatments.
In November 2023, Apollomics’ partner in China, Avistone Biotechnology, gained conditional approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the therapy to treat individuals with MET exon 14-skipping NSCLC.
This therapy has not gained approval for use in any other global regions.
