Almirall, Eloxx enter licensing agreement for ZKN-013 for rare dermatological diseases

Key takeaways:

• ZKN-013 is an oral, nonsense mutation readthrough drug.
• Almirall will pay Eloxx $3 million upfront for the global rights to develop and commercialize ZKN-013 for rare dermatological diseases.

Almirall has entered into a licensing agreement with Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Inc. to develop and commercialize ZKN-013 for the treatment of orphan dermatological diseases, according to an Almirall press release.

ZKN-013 is an oral, nonsense mutation readthrough drug that gives host cells the ability to create functional proteins that counteract the root cause of rare dermatological, and possibly other, diseases. Under this exclusive licensing agreement, Almirall will obtain the global rights to develop and commercialize ZKN-013.

“This license agreement is aligned with Almirall’s R&D strategy to develop novel treatments to help people with dermatological conditions, including rare diseases,” Karl Ziegelbauer, PhD, executive vice president R&D and chief scientific officer of Almirall, said in the release. “We look forward to progressing the development of ZKN-013 to find a potentially impactful solution for patients suffering from rare and devastating diseases caused by nonsense mutations.”

Per this agreement, Eloxx will receive an upfront payment of $3 million as well as additional payments up to $470 million throughout the development, regulatory and sales phases. The company is also eligible for tiered royalties based on any potential future global sales.