Neovii Pharmaceuticals and Mundipharma have entered into an agreement giving Mundipharma the rights to develop and distribute its polyclonal antibody immunosuppressant Grafalon®, in China and Japan from end October. 

Grafalon® is indicated in solid organ transplant for prevention and treatment of acute rejection, graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) in stem cell transplant (SCT) and in the treatment of aplastic anemia. Under its license, Mundipharma intends to strengthen the distribution and support of Grafalon® in these key markets to advance the clinical development for the prevention of chronic GvHD in SCT.

Grafalon® is currently approved for prevention of rejection and the treatment of acute steroid resistant rejection in solid organ transplant in China. It has been used for over 30 years to treat patients, and is currently available in over 50 countries worldwide. 

Juergen Pohle, Neovii chief executive officer commented, “We are very enthusiastic to work with Mundipharma as a partner to develop Grafalon® in China further by developing its indication for use in stem cell transplantation and further solidifying the position of Grafalon® as a leading treatment for solid organ transplant patients in China.” 

Mundipharma chief executive officer, Raman Singh, said, “We are excited to establish a partnership with Neovii that will have an positive impact on patients in China and Japan, who will have access to the leading technology for prevention of GvHD. We view Grafalon® as a strategic complement to our existing haemotology and oncology franchise,” he added. “SCT continues to be the only curative therapy for many patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and Grafalon® has the potential to help them avoid the debilitating and potentially fatal effects of GvHD.”