AriBio and Arcera sign $600 million licensing and supply agreements

South Korean biotech AriBio Co, specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, and a Swiss pharmaceutical company Acino, part of Arcera, a global life sciences company based in Abu Dhabi, announced an exclusive licensing and commercialization, and supply agreements for AR1001, an investigational oral therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.

As a result, Arcera will have exclusive rights to commercialize AR1001 in its key markets, including Latin America, the Middle East, Southern Africa, Ukraine and select Eurasian countries. AriBio will be responsible for manufacturing and supplying the product. The total deal value is estimated at $600 million across the development, launch and commercialization period, contingent upon the achievement of certain milestones.

AR1001 is a novel, disease-modifying, once-daily oral phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor currently being studied in a global Phase III clinical trial (POLARIS-AD) for the treatment of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The enrollment target for the Phase III trial has been reached, and the top-line results are expected in the first half of 2026.