Dilafor signs deal with Exeltis for tafoxiparin

Karolinska Development (Nasdaq Stockholm: KDEV) today announced that its portfolio company Dilafor has signed a binding term sheet with Exeltis, a global women’s health company, for an exclusive semi-global license (excluding China and Japan) to its lead candidate drug tafoxiparin.

Exeltis will fund pivotal clinical trials, development and commercialization of tafoxiparin for priming of labor. The deal offers Dilafor significant upside through sales-based milestone payments and up to double-digit royalties on net sales, alongside limited upfront and development-based milestones.

“We are pleased to see that Dilafor has signed a binding term sheet with Exeltis, an engaged pharmaceutical player in the field of Women’s Healthcare. It implies great opportunities to progress the clinical development of tafoxiparin. At a later stage it could enable a fundamental change in the treatment options for pregnant women, shifting care from hospital surveillance to treatment at home. Maternity care is undergoing a global transformation following recognition of a significant risk of fetal death in pregnancies that continue beyond the expected due date. Therefore obstetricians are compelled to induce labor earlier. The inductions have been increased to 30-40 % especially in first time mothers. Against this backdrop, tafoxiparin has blockbuster sales potential and we are convinced that tafoxiparin will play a disruptive role to solve this increased demand of inductions by offering a safe, effective treatment planned for home use by the mother,” says Viktor Drvota, chief executive of Karolinska Development.