Cytokinetics has announced that Sanofi has secured exclusive rights to develop and commercialise aficamten in Greater China for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
The rights were previously held by Corxel Pharmaceuticals, which now transfers them to Sanofi under the terms of a new agreement. This acquisition covers mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan.
The financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Aficamten is a selective cardiac myosin inhibitor. It is currently under investigation for its potential to treat both obstructive and non-obstructive forms of HCM, which is a condition characterised by abnormal thickening of the heart muscle.
The drug candidate works by targeting the cardiac myosin protein, which plays a central role in muscle contraction, to reduce myocardial hypercontractility.
Preclinical studies have shown that aficamten binds to a distinct allosteric site on cardiac myosin, preventing it from entering a force-producing state, thereby reducing myocardial contractility associated with HCM.
Corxel Pharmaceuticals, formerly known as Ji Xing, acquired the rights to aficamten in Greater China from Cytokinetics in 2020, as part of Cytokinetics’ global registration strategy.
The drug candidate has since received breakthrough therapy designation from the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). The NMPA has also accepted the new drug application (NDA) for aficamten tablets, which are currently undergoing Priority Review for the treatment of oHCM.
Cytokinetics said that it is eligible to earn up to $150m in development and commercial milestone payments from Sanofi. Additionally, Cytokinetics is entitled to royalties in the low-to-high teens on future sales of aficamten in Greater China.
The company is also set to receive undisclosed additional payments linked to the execution of the agreement between Sanofi and Corxel.
Cytokinetics president and CEO Robert Blum said: “We have enjoyed a productive collaboration with CORXEL and appreciate all they have done to advance aficamten in Greater China.
“We now look forward to partnering with Sanofi with shared objective to leverage their cardiovascular expertise and expand the reach of aficamten to patients suffering from HCM throughout Greater China.”
