Galderma licenses biologic skin disease therapy from Chugai

Galderma has signed a new global licence agreement with Chugai Pharmaceutical for nemolizumab, a promising new biologic therapy for skin diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Chugai will grant Galderma an exclusive licence for the development and marketing of this anti-IL-31 receptor A humanised monoclonal antibody worldwide, with the exception of Japan and Taiwan.

Chugai will continue to be responsible for product manufacturing and supply of the drug, and will receive an upfront fee plus milestone and royalty payments from Galderma.

Nemolizumab is currently under development for atopic dermatitis and pruritus in haemodialysis patients. It utilises Chugai's proprietary antibody engineering technology ACT-Ig, which can extend the biological half-life of antibodies in blood.

Chugai has obtained positive results in a global phase ll study in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in five countries in the US, Europe and Japan.

Dr Thibaud Portal, vice-president of Galderma's prescription business, said: "This first foray for Galderma in the field of biotherapies will be truly transformational for our prescription business and illustrates our ambitions to fulfill all the needs of our patients."