Under the terms of the agreement, Debiopharm will fully manage and fund the development of Debio-0719, before out-licensing to sales and marketing partners in all territories outside of Asia, where Kirin will maintain development and commercialization rights. Kirin will receive milestone payments, as well as royalties based on Debiopharm's revenues from worldwide sales.
Debio-0719 was discovered by Kirin in a screen for small molecule inhibitors of LPA receptors.
LPA plays multiple key roles in human cancer, including cancer cell growth, survival, invasion and metastasis. The inappropriate production of LPA in most cancers and its role in controlling multiple signal transduction pathways involved in tumor growth and metastasis make it a compelling therapeutic target for cancer.