Sanofi has secured exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Cytokinetics’ heart disease treatment, aficamten, in China. This deal comes as aficamten awaits regulatory approval decisions in both the U.S. and China.
The rights were previously held by Corxel Pharmaceuticals, which acquired the China rights to aficamten in 2020 for up to $200 million in potential milestone payments. Corxel, a Shanghai-based company formerly known as Ji Xing, had been focused on advancing aficamten for heart conditions related to excessive heart contractility, including obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). Earlier this month, Corxel announced that China’s regulatory authorities had accepted aficamten’s new drug application for priority review in the treatment of oHCM.
Under the new agreement, Sanofi will take over Corxel’s China rights for an undisclosed amount. Cytokinetics is set to receive up to $150 million in milestone payments from Sanofi, in addition to royalties. Cytokinetics may also receive additional, undisclosed payments related to the deal between Sanofi and Corxel.
Aficamten, a cardiac myosin inhibitor, is being developed to treat both obstructive and non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The drug has already received breakthrough therapy designation from the U.S. FDA and is seen as a potential competitor to Bristol Myers Squibb’s approved heart disease treatment, Camzyos.
The candidate is also under review by the European Medicines Agency and the FDA, with a U.S. decision expected by September 26, 2025. In December 2023, Cytokinetics shared promising phase 3 trial results from the SEQUOIA-HCM study, showing that aficamten outperformed a placebo in improving the exercise capacity of patients with oHCM.
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