Starton Therapeutics Inc, a privately held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with China-based Haisco Pharmaceutical Group Co Ltd for the development and commercialization of STAR-OLZ, its once-weekly nausea and vomiting treatment.
STAR-OLZ is a transdermal delivery system of the drug olanzapine intended for use in mainland China. The system is in development to be the first product approved for PARP inhibitor-induced nausea and vomiting (PIINV). PARP inhibitors are long-term cancer therapies, which cause nausea in more than 70% of patients, the company said.
Starton and Haisco are preparing to launch clinical studies in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), followed by additional nausea and vomiting indications, the company said. Starton has previously completed a human bioavailability study of STAR-OLZ, which successfully delivered therapeutic blood levels and displayed acceptable tolerability.
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In 36 healthy volunteers, it was found that STAR-OLZ delivers target therapeutic levels of olanzapine over 7 days, is well-tolerated to the skin, adheres to the skin over the dosing interval with easy removal and has lower overall sedation side effect intensity when compared to another drug, ZYPREXA oral.
“Haisco is an ideal partner for our STAR-OLZ product,” Starton CEO Pedro Lichtinger said in a statement. “In addition to being a respected pharmaceutical company in China, Haisco leads in antiemetic sales in China and has several antiemetics products in the market and in development. Their knowledge and commercial presence in the most price-sensitive market will maximize the potential value that STAR-OLZ brings to patients.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Starton will receive an undisclosed upfront cash payment and is eligible to receive additional development and regulatory milestone payments, in addition to double-digit royalties on annual net sales of STAR-OLZ in the territory, the company said. Haisco will be responsible for developing and commercializing STAR-OLZ in China.
“Haisco has built a strong profile in the tumor antiemetic area,” Haisco Chairman Junmin Wang said. “Our Dolasteron injectable shares a great portion in the antiemetic market in China. In-licensing STAR-OLZ to China brings a more effective and convenient treatment option to Chinese cancer patients and adds on a novel means to differentiate our present antiemetic offerings. We look forward to closely collaborating with Starton to efficiently develop this product to benefit patients as soon as possible.”
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