Yuhan Corporation Introduces Anticancer Drug Candidate Co-Developed by Cyrus and Canap

Yuhan Corporation has introduced an anticancer drug candidate jointly developed by domestic bio-ventures Cyrus Therapeutics and Canaf Therapeutics.

Kim Byung-moon, CEO of Cyrus Therapeutics, Cho Wook-je, CEO of Yuhan Corporation, and Lee Byung-chul, CEO of Canap Therapeutics, are posing for a commemorative photo at the signing ceremony for the technology transfer and joint development agreement of the SOS1-targeting anticancer drug candidate.
[Photo by Yuhan Corporation]

On the 7th, Yuhan announced that it signed a technology license agreement to introduce an anticancer drug candidate with a sevenless homolog SOS1 inhibition mechanism from Cyrus and Canaf, with a total contract size of 208 billion KRW. The signing fee of 6 billion KRW will be paid within 30 days from the contract date, and the milestone payments for development, approval, and sales are set at up to 202 billion KRW. Royalties based on net sales after commercialization will also be paid separately, and if a third-party license-out occurs again, the profits will be distributed differentially among the three companies according to the development status at the time of the contract.

SOS1 is a protein that regulates the activity of rat sarcoma virus (RAS), which is involved in cell proliferation. It is a target expected to have anticancer activity regardless of various RAS mutations and cancer types. The company explained, "SOS1 inhibitors are expected to enhance therapeutic effects through synergy with KRAS inhibitors or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors and to overcome resistance to existing treatments." Since KRAS and EGFR mutations are representative causes of cancers with high prevalence and unmet medical needs such as lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer, the market potential is also expected to be significant.

Jo Wook-je, CEO of Yuhan Corporation, said, "With this contract, we believe we have taken a big step toward securing an additional anticancer drug pipeline and developing the second and third Lekraza." He added, "We will focus all our capabilities to quickly enter the clinical trial phase and continue to strengthen our anticancer drug pipeline."

Kim Byung-moon, CEO of Cyrus, and Lee Byung-chul, CEO of Canaf, said, "The SOS1 inhibitor discovered through joint research by the two companies is expected to provide improved new treatment opportunities for patients with KRAS and EGFR mutations." They added, "We expect that the technology license agreement with Yuhan Corporation will accelerate the birth of new innovative drugs."

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