Nexai, Japan's Ono Licenses Next-Generation Immuno-Oncology Drug NXI-101 Technology Export

Nexai announced on the 5th that it has signed a technology export contract with Japan's Ono Pharmaceutical for NXI-101, a next-generation immuno-oncology drug under development.

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NXI-101 is a next-generation immuno-oncology drug aimed at treating cancers that do not respond to existing cancer immunotherapies. It targets 'Oncokine-1,' an immune evasion factor specifically secreted by cancer cells. By inhibiting the Oncokine protein that blocks the efficacy of existing immuno-oncology drugs, it improves patients' responses to cancer immunotherapy. Currently, it is in preclinical stages, with the original goal of entering human clinical trials next year.

Through this contract with Ono, Ono will exclusively hold all global rights for the future clinical development and commercialization of NXI-101. Nexai will receive milestone payments based on development and commercialization progress, including an upfront payment, and will also receive royalties based on annual net sales after commercialization. Specific contract details and scale have not been disclosed by mutual agreement.

Ono developed Opdivo, the first programmed cell death protein (PD)-1 class immuno-oncology drug, together with global big pharma Bristol Myers-Squibb (BMS). It is a blockbuster drug that generated over $10 billion (approximately 13 trillion KRW) in sales last year. However, PD-1 class cancer drugs have limitations due to their low response rates, and Ono is understood to have acquired NXI-101 to overcome this.

Yoon Kyung-wan, CEO of Nexai, said, “We are pleased to start this journey with Ono, which holds the original technology for Opdivo. Ono is the right partner to apply its successful immuno-oncology development experience to NXI-101, increasing the likelihood of success in global clinical trials and commercialization.” He added, “Building on this partnership with Ono, we will continue to establish Nexai’s unique platform that can propose an attractive clinical candidate portfolio with various mechanisms and therapeutic targets.”

Takino Toichi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ono, also stated, "We expect that through this collaboration, NXI-101 will become a new treatment option for cancer patients. We will do our best to develop NXI-101 by leveraging Ono’s experience and expertise in immuno-oncology and aim to include it in our internal pipeline."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.