Viridian Therapeutics has entered into an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with Kissei Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialize veligrotug and VRDN-003 in Japan. Both molecules are anti-insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) antibodies for the potential treatment of patients with thyroid eye disease (TED), and VRDN-003 is a potential best-in-class, subcutaneous, half-life extended anti-IGF-1R antibody with the same binding domain as veligrotug. TED is an autoimmune condition characterized by inflammation, growth, and damage to tissues around and behind the eye, often causing swelling, discomfort, and double vision, among other signs and symptoms.
“After running a very competitive partnering process, we are thrilled to partner with Kissei to bring these potential best-in-class medicines to TED patients in Japan,” said Steve Mahoney, Viridian’s President and CEO. “Kissei has an established strong track record of successfully developing and commercializing in-licensed, rare disease medicines. Kissei shares our enthusiasm and commitment to these programs, and we believe Kissei is an ideal partner for us in Japan. Both companies look forward to moving quickly to advance these novel treatment options for patients.”
“As we seek to further expand our pipeline in rare and intractable diseases, we are very excited by the potential of veligrotug and VRDN-003 to address the significant unmet needs of TED patients in Japan, based on veligrotug’s strong and consistent phase 3 clinical data in THRIVE and THRIVE-2,” said Mutsuo Kanzawa, Chairman and CEO of Kissei. “This collaboration reinforces our mission to contribute to the health of people around the world through innovative pharmaceutical products, and we are committed to bringing important treatment options to Japanese patients as rapidly as possible.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Viridian will grant Kissei an exclusive license to develop and commercialize veligrotug and VRDN-003 in Japan. Viridian will receive an upfront cash payment of $70 million, with the potential to receive an additional $315 million in development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered royalties on net sales in Japan with percentages ranging from the 20s to mid-30s. Kissei will be responsible for all development, regulatory, and commercialization activities, and associated costs, in Japan.
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