Xynomic Pharmaceuticals has acquired exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the anticancer drug abexinostat. The firm said it aims to start global registrational Phase III studies with the pan-histone deacetylase (pan-HDAC) inhibitor during Q3 2017.

“We are honored and excited to forge this landmark agreement,” commented Y. Mark Xu, co-founder, chairman and CEO of Xynomic. “We will deploy necessary resources and closely work with key opinion leaders to expeditiously bring this innovative drug to the market to address unmet medical needs.”

Xynomic hasn’t stated from where it has acquired the drug, nor has it given any financial details. However, in September 2014, cancer drugs firm Pharmacyclics confirmed regaining all global rights to abexinostat, when its 5-year ex-U.S. collaboration with Servier was ended amicably. Pharmacyclics was acquired by Abbvie in 2015, for $21 billion.

Fourteen Phase I and Phase II studies have been carried out with abexinostat in the U.S., EU, and Asia, against multiple tumor types, according to Xynomic. A Pharmacylics-funded open-label Phase I/II study, published in Clinical Cancer Research in March 2016, reported that the drug was effective against relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma. 

Wyoming-based Xynomic has been set up by industry executives from China and the U.S., to in-license and commercialize anticancer drugs in China, the U.S., and globally. The firm has its major operations in the U.S. and Shanghai.

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