Oral small molecule therapy rovadicitnib from Sino Biopharmaceutical offers potential to advance the pharma company’s haematology portfolio.
Sanofi has licensed Sino Biopharmaceutical’s first-in-class, oral JAK/ROCK inhibitor Anxu (rovadicitnib) in a development and commercialisation deal worth up to $1.53 billion.
The China-based firm will be eligible for $135 million upfront, alongside potential milestone payments of up to $1.4 million, as well as royalty payments.
The dual mechanism of action of Sino’s small molecule therapy offers both anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects.
Anxu was approved in China in February for first-line treatment in intermediate-2 or high-risk primary myelofibrosis (PMF), post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (PPVMF), or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (PET-MF).
the JAK/ROCK inhibitor has shown breakthrough potential in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) for post-transplant patients"
Additionally, the JAK/ROCK inhibitor has shown “breakthrough potential” in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) for post-transplant patients, according to Sino Biopharma.
Clinical data from a phase Ib/IIa clinical trial conducted in China found that rovadicitnib enabled superior 12-month failure-free survival and enhanced responses in fibrosis-dominated organs compared to other approved therapies, as well as the potential to overcome ruxolitinib resistance.
The news precedes the impending replacement of Sanofi’s CEO, with Dr Belén Garijo, taking the helm from 29 April. Olivier Charmeil, Executive Vice President, General Medicines, is currently serving as the firm’s Interim CEO until then. Sanofi plans that Dr Garijo will narrow the company’s focus on its strategy, notably its productivity, governance and R&D efforts.
Sanofi recently shared promising findings for a candidate in its respiratory pipeline. Its biologic Beyfortus (nirsevimab) showed significantly lower respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related hospitalisations in infants during two consecutive seasons.
Beyfortus reduced LRTI hospitalisations by 85.9 percent in infants immunised during their first season. In trial participants given the treatment during infancy, in their second RSV season, the coverage rate was 94.4 percent there were 55.3 percent fewer hospitalisations, according to NIRSE-GAL study data.
