Mundipharma International Corporation Limited and Northlake International LLC have announced that they have entered into a strategic collaboration agreement to develop structurally novel – next generation alkylating agents for the treatment of haematological malignancies.
The agreement grants Mundipharma and its independent associated companies worldwide intellectual property rights, excluding China, to Northlake International’s lead product NL-101 as well as its pipeline of back-up molecules. NL-101 is a novel fusion molecule developed through Northlake International’s Dual Functional Cytotoxic Targeted Therapy (DCTT) technology. This new chemical entity has a bendamustine back-bone plus a histone deacetylase (HDAC) pharmacophore, providing a dual specificity therapeutic small molecule capable of targeting both a 'conventional' cytotoxic pathway and a 'modern' molecular targeted pathway with a single molecule.
“NL-101 has, in cell lines, demonstrated five times higher DNA alkylation efficiency than melphalan and is ten times more potent than bendamustine. It appears that NL-101 has the properties to be a powerful and broadly applicable alkylating agent,” said Professor Karen Reimer, Director, Mundipharma Research Limited. “Mundipharma’s agreement with Northlake International is yet another example of our heritage of partnering and co-developing with companies. This collaboration will further strengthen our growing oncology portfolio and aligns with our strategic commitment to oncology.”
Dr Yi Chen, CSO /co-founder, of Northlake International commented “We believe alkylating agents will continue to have an important role as a cornerstone of therapy in conjunction with targeted therapies. This collaboration leverages Mundipharma’s expertise with bendamustine along with our DCTT technology and will help bring important new therapies to patients and physicians.”
Alongside the new collaboration agreement with Northlake International, Mundipharma has also signed a Data Sharing Agreement with Hangzhou Minsheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (Minsheng), which owns the Chinese rights for NL-101. Mr. Fujiang Zhu, President of Minsheng, commented “the data sharing agreement between Mundipharma and Minsheng will accelerate the development of NL-101, and will increase R&D efficiency for both sides. We are confident that the partnership will significantly enhance the chance of success for NL-101.”
Mundipharma’s oncology portfolio includes products for treating neuro-oncological and haematological malignancies, and continues to expand as a result of licensing agreements with Astellas Deutschland GmbH, Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Allos Therapeutics, Inc., which is now part of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
