Huya gains cancer compound rights outside China

“We are excited to complete what we believe is the first license and co-development deal of such an innovative investigational pharmaceutical from a China-based company. Huya's mission is to comprehensively source proprietary late preclinical and early clinical drug candidates from China for development and commercialization in Western markets.

“This approach is significantly strengthened by partnership and cooperation on early stage clinical trials in China,” stated Mireille Gingras, Huya's president and CEO.

Chidamide is currently approved to initiate a phase I clinical trial in China. Chidamide is an orally bioavailable histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor derived from the benzamide class. Histone deacetylase inhibitors are a new class of cancer drugs that induce selective regulation of gene expression in cancer cells.

Chidamide has exhibited preclinical efficacy and pharmacokinetic properties that may translate into a superior clinical profile over other HDAC inhibitors currently in development or being marketed.

Huya will co-develop chidamide with Chipscreen through phase I clinical trials to be initiated shortly in China. Thereafter, Huya plans to file an investigational new drug application and commence clinical trials of chidamide in the US and Europe. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.