• iNtRON Grants Basilea exclusive right for preclinical evaluation with an undisclosed payment
  • Basilea has the option to enter into exclusive License Agreement following the evaluation

BOSTON and SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — iNtRON Biotechnology (“iNtRON”, www.intodeworld.com) has announced today that they have signed an “EVALUATION LICENSE AND OPTION AGREEMENT” with Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (“Basilea”), granting Basilea the option to enter into an exclusive license agreement for the antibacterial bio-drug SAL200 (Tonabacase).

Basilea, headquartered in Switzerland, is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of anti-infective drugs. Basilea has successfully developed and commercialized “Cresemba®,” a treatment for invasive fungal infections, and “Zevtera®,” a treatment for bacterial infections. They possess significant expertise in late-stage clinical development and commercialization.

Basilea has assessed the clinical success potential by reviewing certain preclinical and clinical data and entered into this agreement with iNtRON to conduct evaluation studies to determine the optimal future clinical development program for SAL200.

iNtRON will receive an initial upfront payment upon the execution of this agreement and will receive an additional payment upon Basilea exercising the option to negotiate an exclusive license agreement after the completion of the evaluation test, which can last up to one year. Certain essential terms of the exclusive license agreement have been pre-agreed upon along with the current agreement. The total contract amounts shall be undisclosed under the confidential obligations between the two companies.

iNtRON has been actively discussing the exclusive license agreement with Basilea, who showed keen interest in SAL200. It was determined that Basilea is a suitable partner for the further development and commercialization of SAL200 in the field of infectious disease, and iNtRON has signed the agreement to ensure the development progress of SAL200.

YOON, Kyung Won, the CEO of iNtRON, stated, “Basilea is a suitable partner, since they have a strong track record of successfully developing and commercializing anti-infective drugs, and in particular, they are a stable company with ample clinical development experience, including a recent NDA submission to the US FDA.” He added “We are confident that the planned evaluation tests  will significantly increase the probability of successful completion of a Phase 2 study. With a partner who already possesses commercialization capabilities, we believe in the success of SAL200.”

About SAL200 (Tonabacase)
SAL200 is a novel endolysin-based anti-staphylococcal drug formulated for injection. Its active pharmaceutical ingredient is the recombinant phage endolysin SAL-1, derived from the staphylococcus-specific bacteriophage SAP-1. SAL200 is proven to be effective in treating staphylococci-associated infections including MSSA, MRSA, and other so-called superbugs through the previous in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies. The phase 1a, 1b MAD and 2a study for SAL200 was completed in Korea and the further development is expected to be conducted in global. The IND application for the US Phase 2 study has been approved by FDA.

About iNtRON Biotechnology, Inc.
iNtRON (www.iNtODEWORLD.com) is a bio-new drug developing venture company and a leader in bacteriophage-based technology for human with aim to develop and investigate into the ‘Immune & Immunotherapeutics‘ market. While pursuing global research and business development (R&BD) investments since the foundation and accelerated development after entering its IPO in KOSDAQ, the company honed in on innovating BIO New Drugs by developing various ‘First-in-Class” and “First-in-Concept’ bio-drugs and conducting clinical studies in phases. The Company is committed to development of innovative innovation in the infectious diseases and ‘Immune & Immunotherapeutics‘ area.

Contact Us
YOON, Kyung Won (Kevin) / CEO, Vice President / kwyoon@intron.co.kr
SHIN, Tae Kyu (TK) / BD Team Leader / tkshin@intron.co.kr
BD Team / partner@intron.co.kr
www.intodeworld.com

it is iNtRON.

Source: iNtRON Biotechnology, Inc.