LG Chem is bolstering its efforts to develop groundbreaking cancer treatments by targeting previously “undruggable” targets, thanks to a new license agreement with Frontier Medicines, a leading biotechnology firm based in the United States.
Announced Wednesday, the agreement grants LG Chem the exclusive global rights (excluding Greater China) to develop and commercialize Frontier Medicines’ innovative compound, FMC-220. Frontier Medicines will retain full ownership and control within Greater China.
As per the terms of the agreement, LG Chem will oversee all regulatory filings, global clinical development, and commercialization activities within the licensed territories. Frontier Medicines retains the option for enhanced financial participation through partial funding of the confirmatory clinical trial.
Frontier Medicines will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for future clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, along with royalties ranging from mid-single-digit to double-digit percentages on net sales. Specific financial details of the deal remain undisclosed.
“FMC-220 represents an innovative approach to targeting genetic mutations where limited treatment options currently exist,” stated Son Jee-woong, president of LG Chem Life Sciences. “We are committed to validating its potential as a valuable treatment option that can deliver significant benefits to patients.”
FMC-220 is a first-in-class covalent p53 Y220C activator designed for the treatment of solid tumors with TP53 loss-of-function mutations. It targets p53, a crucial tumor suppressor protein that has historically been considered “undruggable” due to the absence of suitable binding pockets for small-molecule drugs.
The p53 Y220C mutation is a common missense mutation found in approximately 1 to 3 percent of cancers, particularly prevalent in solid tumors such as lung, breast, ovarian, and colorectal cancers.
Preclinical data demonstrates that FMC-220 exhibits unprecedented potency, selective engagement, and sustained antitumor activity at low doses across a wide range of tumor models, including those with co-mutations.
“This partnership with LG Chem marks a pivotal and exciting moment for Frontier and the FMC-220 program, highlighting the potential of our proprietary Frontier Platform to address historically challenging targets and deliver differentiated, covalent precision therapies,” said Chris Varma, CEO of Frontier Medicines.
“Through this collaboration with LG Chem, the FMC-220 program will continue to advance, translating the encouraging preclinical data we’ve generated to date into meaningful impact for patients.”
LG Chem plans to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials in both the US and Korea this year, initially focusing on ovarian cancer, where the p53 Y220C mutation is relatively more common. The company then intends to expand its focus to include other solid tumors.
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