Pharmion, Nippon Shinyaku sign Japanese license agreement

The agreement requires Nippon Shinyaku to pay both royalties and milestone payments to Pharmion upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones, and also provides Nippon Shinyaku the responsibility for funding and conducting additional studies required for approval in Japan. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Nippon Shinyaku's proven track record in the area of oncology makes them a good partner for Pharmion,” said Patrick Mahaffy, Pharmion's president and CEO.

Vidaza was the first drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with blood cancer known as myelodysplastic syndrome. Vidaza is marketed by Pharmion in the US and is sold on a named patient and compassionate use basis in Europe.

Vidaza is believed to exert its antineoplastic effects by causing hypomethylation of DNA and direct cytotoxicity on abnormal hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow. Hypomethylation may restore normal function to genes that are critical for differentiation and proliferation.