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China-based Jacobio Pharma has entered an agreement with AstraZeneca for its proprietary Pan-KRAS inhibitor JAB-23E73. AstraZeneca will receive exclusive development and commercialisation rights outside of China, while Jacobio and AstraZeneca will jointly develop and commercialise JAB-23E73 in China.
Under the terms of the agreement, Jacobio will receive an upfront payment of $100 million, and is eligible for additional development and commercial milestone payments of up to $1.915 billion, as well as tiered royalties on net sales achieved outside of China. AstraZeneca will be responsible for all clinical development, regulatory submissions, and commercialization activities for JAB-23E73 outside of China.
JAB-23E73 is an innovative Pan-KRAS inhibitor developed using Jacobio's induced allosteric drug discovery platform, designed to target multiple KRAS mutation subtypes. KRAS is the most frequently mutated oncogene in human cancers, present in approximately 23% of all patients. JAB-23E73 is being evaluated in Phase I trials in both China and the United States, where early signs of anti-tumor activity have been observed.
This agreement strengthens Jacobio's financial position, accelerates the global development efforts, and expands our presence in the global oncology innovation ecosystem.
Jacobio will continue to delve into the KRAS pathway, advance tADCs with KRAS inhibitors as payloads, develop differentiated drugs targeting more KRAS mutation types, and drive forward its next immuno-oncology programmes, including STING-based iADC platform.
