This news release is available in Spanish.
PharmaMar (MSE:PHM) today announced an agreement with Singapore-based Specialised Therapeutics Asia Pte, Ltd (STA) to market marine-based anti-tumour compound APLIDIN® (plitidepsin) for the treatment of haematological tumours in 12 Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
APLIDIN® (plitidepsin), the second anti-tumour compound to be developed by PharmaMar from a marine organism, is currently undergoing development for the treatment of haematological tumours. A number of clinical trials are currently under way in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, such as the ADMYRE Phase III trial, as well as a Phase II trial in T-cell lymphoma. Plitidepsin has been granted orphan drug status by the regulatory agencies in Europe (EMA) and the US (FDA).
José María Fernández Sousa-Faro, Chairman of PharmaMar, commented, "We are proud to enter into agreements with laboratories such as STA that enable us to ensure that all patients who need plitidepsin will have access to it. We are firmly committed to advancing in the development of innovative oncology therapies."
Carlo Montagner, CEO of Specialised Therapeutics Asia: "We look forward to working with PharmaMar to ensure this valuable multiple myeloma therapy is available as soon as possible to patients in key South East Asia regions, as well as in Australia and New Zealand". He added "Aplidin may be highly valuable as a new therapeutic for this difficult to treat cancer. While multiple myeloma remains relatively rare, it is an insidious disease with one of the lowest survival rates in oncology".
Under the terms of the agreement, PharmaMar is entitled an upfront payment, recurring payments for sales, and additional remuneration for sales and regulatory milestones attained by APLIDIN® (plitidepsin). PharmaMar will retain exclusive production rights and will supply the product to STA for sale in those 12 Asian countries.
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About APLIDIN® (plitidepsin)
Plitidepsin is an investigational anticancer agent of marine origin, originally obtained from the ascidian Aplidium albicans. It specifically binds to the eEF1A2 and targets the non-canonical role of this protein, resulting in tumor cell death via apoptosis (programmed death). Plitidepsin is currently in clinical development for hematological cancers, including a Phase III study in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, a Phase Ib trial in relapsed or refractory multiple mieloma as a triple combination of plitidepsin, bortezomib and dexamethasone, and a Phase II study in relapsed or refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. Plitidepsin has received orphan drug desigantion by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drud Administration (FDA).
About multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a relatively uncommon type of blood cancer, which accounts for 10% of all hematological malignancies, that is caused by malignant plasma cells that very rapidly multiply . Normal plasma cells are white blood cells, which form part of the immune system, found in the bone marrow that produce the antibodies necessary to fight infections . Abnormal cells produce a type of antibody that does not benefit the body and accumulate, thus preventing normal cells from functioning properly. Almost all patients with multiple myeloma progress from an initial, asymptomatic pre-malignant stage to established disease. In 2015, 26,850 new cases will be diagnosed in the US, and about 11,200 people will die of this disease .In Europe, there will be 4.5-6.0 out of 100 000 diagnosed per year .
About PharmaMar
Headquartered in Madrid, PharmaMar is a world-leading biopharmaceutical company in the discovery and development of innovative marine-derived anticancer drugs. The company has an important pipeline of drug candidates and a robust R&D oncology program. PharmaMar develops and commercializes YONDELIS® in Europe and has other three clinical-stage programs under development for several types of solid and hematological cancers, PM1183, plitidepsin, and PM60184. PharmaMar is a global biopharmaceutical company with subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States. PharmaMar fully owns other companies: GENOMICA, Spain's leading molecular diagnostics company; Sylentis, dedicated to researching therapeutic applications of gene silencing (RNAi); and two other chemical enterprises, Zelnova zeltia and Xylazel. To learn more about PharmaMar, please visit us at http://www.pharmamar.com.
About Specialised Therapeutics Asia
Specialised Therapeutics Asia Pte Ltd (ST Asia) is an international biopharmaceutical company established to provide pioneering healthcare solutions to patients throughout South East Asia, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. The company is a close affiliate of Specialised Therapeutics Australia (STA), which also collaborates with leading global pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to bring novel, innovative and life changing healthcare solutions to patients affected by a range of diseases. ST Asia is committed to making new and novel therapies available to patients around the world, with a broad therapeutic portfolio spanning oncology, hematology, urology and ophthalmology. Additional information can be found at http://www.specialisedtherapeutics.com.au
Disclaimer
This document is a press release, not a prospectus. This document does not constitute or form part of an offering or invitation to sell or a solicitation to purchase, offer or subscribe shares of the company. Moreover, no reliance should be placed upon this document for any investment decision or contract and it does not constitute a recommendation of any type with regard to the shares of the company.