Yifan Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Yifan Pharmaceutical (002019.SZ), signed an exclusive agreement on an innovative drug

Zhitong Finance App News, Yifan Pharmaceutical (002019.SZ) announced that Yifan Pharmaceutical, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, has signed “Exclusive Agreements” with Suntech Pharmaceutical and Tianjin Suntech respectively. The “Exclusive Agreement” stipulates that Suntech Pharmaceutical will pay a fee to grant Yifan Pharmaceutical a sub-licensable and irrevocable exclusivity rights and licenses within the scope of cooperative regional cooperation. The target product, At the same time, the target product is granted exclusive priority negotiation rights for production and commercialization rights for other indications within the cooperative region.

Yifan Pharmaceutical is required to pay a down payment of 100 million yuan, a cornerstone investment of 100 million yuan or a milestone payment of 50 million yuan (choose one of the two), a tiered share of net sales, and a share of sub-license revenue from outside of China (if any).

Regarding the basic situation of the target product, ACT001, developed by Suntech Pharmaceutical Company, is a Class 1 innovative drug with a new mechanism. It has conducted multiple clinical trials in China, the US, and Australia over the past 8 years, targeting various indications such as small cell lung cancer, brain metastasis, and glioma. In January 2025, the ACT001 small cell lung cancer brain metastasis indication was recognized by the China Drug Administration as a “breakthrough treatment”, and phase III clinical trials were successfully carried out. By inhibiting NF-kappa B and STAT3 signaling pathways in relevant cells in the microenvironment of cancer lesion tissue, ACT001 reduces the ability of tumor cells to repair DNA, and has the dual synergistic effects of chemoradiotherapy and immunotherapy to achieve the effects of local tumor control and survival extension.

According to the announcement, the target product targets small cell lung cancer brain metastasis, an area where clinical needs are urgent and treatment plans are scarce. By introducing innovative anti-tumor drugs that have entered the advanced clinical stage, it is possible not only to effectively supplement the company's tumor pipeline, but also to avoid the high investment and time costs required for independent research and development from scratch.