Kyowa Kirin Acquires Global Rights to Tivozanib from AVEO Oncology for $25 Million to Advance Late-Stage Renal Cell Carcinoma Treatment

On August 1, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that Kyowa Kirin had acquired the exclusive rights to the anticancer drug Tivozanib from biopharmaceutical company AVEO Oncolog for $25 million. Previously, AVEO Oncolog had acquired the drug from Kyowa Kirin in 2006.

Following this acquisition, Kyowa Kirin will regain exclusive rights to tivozanib, further develop and commercialize the drug to expand its product portfolio.

Tivozanib is a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) administered orally once daily. The drug was discovered by Kyowa Kirin and is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Tivozanib received approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in August 2017. Clinical studies have demonstrated that Tivozanib significantly reduces the number of regulatory T cells, and synergistic effects in combination with nivolumab (an anti-PD-1 antibody) were also proven in the Phase 2 RCC4 study.

Kyowa Kirin is a leading biotechnology company dedicated to contributing to the health of people worldwide. In therapeutic areas such as oncology, nephrology, and immunology, Kyowa Kirin leverages cutting-edge biotechnology centered on antibody technology to continuously develop innovative drugs, which it develops and markets globally. Through these efforts, the company is striving to realize its vision of becoming a global specialty pharmaceutical company.

Dr. Takeyoshi Yamashita, Executive Director of Kyowa Kirin, stated, “This acquisition is highly strategic for us. We will further develop and commercialize tivozanib. This transaction aligns well with our investment strategy, and we are confident that partnering with AVEO was the right decision.”

AVEO Oncology is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and commercialization of cancer therapeutics, with the aim of improving the lives of cancer patients. AVEO’s proprietary integrated cancer biology platform enables efficient drug development in oncology and enhances the likelihood of clinical success. This platform has emerged as a novel avenue for pursuing cancer treatments.

Michael Bailey, President and Chief Executive Officer of AVEO Oncologics, stated, “This acquisition marks a new phase in our collaboration with Kyowa Kirin. Kyowa Kirin will further develop tivozanib and expand its product portfolio, thereby generating significant economic benefits, which aligns well with our expectations. They have also paid AVEO a $5 million upfront payment, strengthening our financial position. We look forward to seeing Kyowa Kirin’s continued development of tivozanib.”

(Compiled by Hu Yifan)