Keryx and Kyowa Hakko agree licensing deal

New York, USA-based drugmaker Keryx Biopharmaceuticals says that it has established a deal with Japan's Kyowa Hakko Kogyo, under which it has obtained an exclusive license to the latter's anticancer agent UCN-01 (7-hydroxystaurosporine). The drug is a novel multi-kinase inhibitor which has, in preclinical models, demonstrated a synergistic effect with agents that inhibit the P13K pathway, including Keryx' KRX-0401 (perifosine) which is under assessment in clinical trials.

UCN-01 is currently in several Phase II studies, both as a single agent and in combination with other anticancer compounds, all of which are being conducted under the direction of the US National Cancer Institute.

Under the terms of the licensing deal, Keryx will make an upfront payment, in addition to developmental and regulatory milestones. Keryx will also pay royalties on the sale of any products that are successfully commercialized. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.