Daiichi Sankyo Co. and Boston Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have entered into a worldwide licensing agreement for Daiichi’s RET inhibitor, DS-5010, a highly selective and potent RET (ret proto-oncogene) kinase inhibitor in late preclinical development. RET mutations are associated with several types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and thyroid cancer.

Boston Pharmaceuticals gains worldwide rights for the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of DS-5010. Daiichi Sankyo will collaborate with Boston Pharma to complete preclinical studies to support an Investigational New Drug Application and initiation of the clinical program, after which Boston Pharma will be responsible for all development. Daiichi will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for clinical, regulatory and sales milestone payments, as well as royalties on net sales. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

“We continue to actively prioritize and manage our growing oncology portfolio to ensure that promising compounds are supported with appropriate resources, either within Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise or through strategic licensing agreements and partnerships,” said Antoine Yver, MD, MSc, executive vice president and global head, Oncology R&D, Daiichi Sankyo. “We believe this agreement with an innovative U.S. partner will rapidly advance the development of this novel compound and potentially its availability to patients.” 

“The acquisition of DS-5010, now the fifth candidate in our pipeline, demonstrates our commitment to identifying and developing novel and differentiated therapeutic agents through strategic partnerships for the ultimate benefit of patients,” said Robert Armstrong, PhD, chief executive officer and co-founder of Boston Pharmaceuticals. “This agreement, with such an innovative partner as Daiichi Sankyo, marks a significant step in our plan to assemble a diverse portfolio of clinical candidates across a broad range of mechanisms and therapeutic targets.”