Orion Corporation has entered into an agreement with Jemincare, through which Orion will receive exclusive global development and commercialisation rights, excluding the Greater China area (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), for a selective NaV 1.8 blocker for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. The company will also receive ownership to certain key patent applications relating to the compound within its own territory.
According to the agreement, Orion has the right to develop and commercialise the asset in its territory. The company will be responsible for its own development and commercialisation costs, as well as manufacturing the products, including active pharmaceutical ingredient, in its markets.
Under the terms of the agreement, Orion will pay Jemincare a €15m upfront payment, in addition to which Jemincare is upon achievement of certain development, commercialisation and sales targets entitled to receive milestone payments. In addition, Jemincare is eligible to receive tiered royalty of 8% to 15% on future sales in Orion territory.
“We are excited about this agreement and are looking forward to taking this compound to clinical studies later this year. Pain is one of the most frequently reported reasons for a patient to visit a health care provider and it generates a significant societal burden in terms of health care utilisation and lost productivity. There is a high unmet need for new non-addictive treatment options with improved efficacy and safety profiles. NaV 1.8 channel is known pain transmission pathway and is thus a promising target for novel pain treatments”, said Prof Outi Vaarala, Senior VP of Research and Development at Orion.
“JMKX000623 is a potent and selective Nav1.8 blocker independently developed by Jemincare and we have received IND approval in China in March 2022. We are delighted to enter into collaboration with Orion Corporation to bring this promising therapy to benefit patients in the rest of the world. This is our second innovative therapy partnered globally. We look forward to work closely with Orion, a partner having rich experience in the development of therapeutics in neurology and pain area, to take this compound to clinical trials”, said Hong Liang, President of Jemincare Pharmaceutical Group.
