China’s RemeGen has sold certain Asia rights to its phase 3-stage eye disease drug to Japan’s Santen Pharmaceutical for 250 million Chinese yuan ($34.8 million) upfront.
The drug in question, dubbed RC28-E, is a VEGF/FGF dual-target fusion protein being aimed at ocular neovascular diseases. RemeGen has already taken RC28-E into phase 3 studies for diabetic macular edema (DME) and wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) off the back of a phase 2 study in DME the company said had demonstrated improved vision and reduced retinal thickness.
RemeGen’s plan is to submit a China approval application for RC28-E in DME later this year, followed by an application in wAMD around mid-2026, according to an Aug. 18 release.
This morning’s deal means that Santen’s China subsidiary now has the rights to develop and commercialize RC28-E in greater China as well as as South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.
As well as the upfront fee, RemeGen could be in line for up to 520 million yuan ($72.4 million) in development and regulatory milestones, as well as 525 million yuan ($73 million) in sales milestones and then tiered royalties on sales in the licensed territories.
RemeGen CEO Jianmin Fang, Ph.D., said the partnership with Japanese vision care company Santen “not only lays a solid foundation for the future commercialization of RC28-E but also reflects international recognition of RemeGen's capabilities in ophthalmic drug development.”
While a number of approved eye disease drugs—such as Roche’s Lucentis and Vabysmo as well as Regeneron and Bayer’s Eylea—already target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), RC28-E is also designed to work on fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), which play a significant role in eye development and disease.
Santen CEO Takeshi Ito said RC28-E “offers differentiated advantages by simultaneously targeting angiogenesis and fibrosis, potentially providing a new therapeutic approach and innovative option for the treatment of fundus diseases.”