Drug maker Lupin on Wednesday said it has inked a licensing, development and commercialisation pact with Germany-based Boehringer Ingelheim for its MEK inhibitor compound, a potential target therapy for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.
The partners aim to develop Lupin's lead MEK inhibitor compound in combination with one of Boehringer Ingelheim's innovative KRAS inhibitors for patients with gastrointestinal and lung cancers, the Mumbai-based firm said in a statement.
Lupin will receive USD 20 million (about Rs 140 crore) upfront payment with potential total milestones of more than USD 700 million (about Rs 5,000 crore) and royalties on the sales of the product, it said.
"With the success of our second new drug discovery program in oncology, we have made a significant mark in bringing novel treatments to patients," Lupin Managing Director Nilesh Gupta said.
The company's MEK inhibitor program successfully cleared early clinical stages, demonstrating its capabilities in delivering world class innovation, he added.
Lupin President Novel Drug Discovery and Development (NDDD) Raj Kamboj said the success of its second NDDD program in oncology has added to its confidence in bringing highly differentiated and best-in-class innovation from India for patients globally.
"The licensing of Lupin's novel MEK inhibitor enables us to pair with our innovative KRAS inhibitors to develop new combination treatment concepts providing more effective and durable responses for patients with cancers driven by activated KRAS who currently have limited treatment options available," Boehringer Ingelheim Head of Global Cancer Research Norbert Kraut said.
KRAS mutations occur in one in seven of all human metastatic cancers, making it the most frequently mutated cancer-causing gene with mutation rates of more than 90 per cent in pancreatic cancers, more than 40 per cent in colorectal cancers and more than 30 per cent in lung adenocarcinomas.
Pre-clinical data has shown that the combination of Boehringer Ingelheim's novel KRAS inhibitors with MEK inhibitors results in increased anti-tumor activity based on their complementary mechanisms of action.
Shares of Lupin on Wednesday ended 0.86 per cent higher at Rs 741.50 apiece on the BSE.
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