Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, and its wholly owned subsidiary and Almirall have entered a licensing agreement on the development and commercialization of tildrakizumab for psoriasis in Europe.

Tildrakizumab is an investigational IL-23p19 inhibitor currently being evaluated in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Under terms of the license agreement, Almirall will pay Sun Pharma an initial upfront payment of US$ 50 million. Phase-3 studies of tildrakizumab have recently been completed. Sun Pharma will be eligible to receive development and regulatory milestone payments and, additionally, sales milestone payments and royalties on net sales, the terms of which are confidential. Almirall will be able to lead European studies, and participate in larger Global clinical studies for psoriasis indication subject to the terms of the Sun Pharma – Merck agreements, as well as certain cost sharing agreements. Sun Pharma will continue to lead development of tildrakizumab for other indications, where Almirall will have right of first negotiation for certain indications in Europe.

Dilip Shanghvi, managing director, Sun Pharma said, “Sun Pharma is committed to growing our dermatology franchise, with tildrakizumab as our lead investigational compound. We continue to build our pipeline and capabilities in this important therapeutic area of significant unmet need. We are proud to be partnering with a regional leader in dermatology, like Almirall, to bring tildrakizumab to the European market,”

“This agreement with Almirall follows the recent announcement that tildrakizumab is the first IL-23p19 inhibitor to demonstrate positive results in Phase-3 clinical trials and is another step towards preparing for future regulatory milestones that will potentially enable us to bring a new treatment option to patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.” he added.

Jorge Gallardo, president of Almirall said, “This agreement with Sun Pharma allows us to add a novel biologic for treatment of psoriasis to our extensive dermatology portfolio. This is an exciting time for the treatment of psoriasis, a disease which can take both a physical and emotional toll on patients’ lives. Emerging new investigational drugs, like tildrakizumab, are increasingly targeted and will potentially offer patients and physicians another alternative.”

Additionally, the license agreement has a provision for possible co-promotion agreement at some point in the future, subject to certain conditions. Psoriasis is a chronic immune disease that appears on the skin. It affects an estimated 7.5 million people in the US and approximately 125 million people worldwide. It is a non-contagious disorder that speeds the growth cycle of skin cells and results in thick scaly areas of skin.

In May 2016, the two pivotal phase-3 clinical trials of tildrakizumab met their primary endpoints for both evaluated doses with topline results shared via a separate press release. The co-primary efficacy endpoints were: the proportion of participants with Psoriasis Area Sensitivity Index 75 (PASI 75) response at week 12 compared to placebo and the proportion of participants with a Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) score of clear or minimal with at least a 2 grade reduction from baseline at week 12 compared to placebo. The overall safety profile of tildrakizumab in both phase-3 clinical trials was consistent with the safety data observed in previously reported studies. Additionally, the second study included an etanercept comparator arm, with a key secondary endpoint comparing tildrakizumab and etanercept on PASI 75 and PGA. Tildrakizumab 200mg was superior to etanercept on both PASI 75 and PGA endpoints at week 12, while the 100 mg dose showed superiority to etanercept on PASI 75 only.

The preparations for submission of a Biologics License Application to the US Food and Drug Administration are proceeding. The detailed findings from the phase-3 clinical trials will be presented at upcoming scientific meetings.

Tildrakizumab is an investigational humanized, anti-IL-23p19 monoclonal antibody designed to selectively block the cytokine IL-23. With this precise targeting, tildrakizumab has the potential to help control the pathogenic cells responsible for the inflammatory process of psoriasis with limited impact on the rest of the immune system.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.’s wholly owned subsidiary, acquired worldwide rights to tildrakizumab from Merck (through a Merck subsidiary) known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, in 2014. Funded by a Sun Pharma subsidiary, Merck is responsible for the completion of Phase-3 trials in patients with mild-to-moderate plaque psoriasis and, as appropriate, submission of a Biologics License Application to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Merck is also responsible for manufacturing finished goods to support Sun Pharma’s initial product launch. Post-approval in the US.