Melbourne-based Starpharma (ASX: SPL) has signed a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca that it says could deliver it over half a billion dollars.
The agreement covers the development and commercialisation by AstraZeneca of compounds directed at a defined family of targets using Starpharma’s DEP drug delivery technology.
The DEP technology is used to improve the performance of pharmaceuticals.
In a statement, Starpharma said under the agreement it is eligible to receive signature and milestone payments on one or more AstraZeneca DEP products if they progress through the development pipeline, and milestone and royalty payments on any net sales of the resultant products.
"AstraZeneca will fund all development and commercialisation costs under the agreement, including ongoing and future collaborative work conducted with Starpharma," it said.
Starpharma’s licensing agreement with AstraZeneca focuses on novel compounds, and not on unmodified drugs in currently marketed formulations. The company said its other programs, including the company’s DEP docetaxel product, are not negatively impacted by this arrangement.
According to Starpharma, a 'signature payment' of $2.9 million was payable on execution of the agreement. Payments for the initial product development and launch milestones could reach up to $91 million, with potential milestones based on specified annual sales levels of up to $86 million.
"The license agreement allows for additional products to be incorporated, with development and regulatory milestone payments of up to US$53.3 million (A$76 million), and potential sales milestones based on specified annual sales levels for qualifying additional products could total up to US$40 million (A$57 million)," it said.
“Today’s agreement with AstraZeneca is an exciting development for Starpharma and its DEP platform," said CEO Dr Jackie Fairley. "It follows a successful collaboration in which Starpharma’s DEP drug delivery technology has been applied to an important AstraZeneca oncology candidate.”
Dr Farley continued, “The agreement clearly illustrates both the commercial potential and platform nature of Starpharma’s DEP drug delivery technology. We estimate that each qualifying product successfully commercialised under this agreement could be worth over its life around US$450 million (A$643 million) to Starpharma and, depending on the range of indications and degree of commercial success in the market, potentially significantly more.”
“The fact that this deal is structured for multiple products underlines the real potential for additional upside for both companies. It is worth noting that Starpharma retains all rights outside of a well-defined and narrow area of application, meaning that its platform remains unencumbered and available for licensing in the vast majority of oncology and other applications for future deals with other partners.”
According to Susan Galbraith, Head of the Oncology Innovative Medicines Unit at AstraZeneca, "We already have a long-standing and successful working relationship with Starpharma. This license agreement will enable us to further harness the DEP technology and evaluate its potential across novel molecules within our oncology portfolio.’’
Shares in Starpharma closed up over 20 per cent on Monday.