Taipei, Taiwan, 6 Feburary 2023 -- Lotus Pharmaceutical (“Lotus” or “the Company,” Taiwan TWSE ticker: 1795), a multinational pharmaceutical company, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Unicycive Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNCY), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing therapies for patients with kidney disease, for the development and commercialization of Renazorb® (lanthanum dioxycarbonate) in Korea. The agreement includes upfront payment, royalties, and milestone payments.
Petar Vazharov, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus said: “The partnership with Unicycive is a testament to our efforts in bringing novel treatment options for patients with chronic diseases. Nephrology is one of the key therapeutic areas for Lotus, and Alvogen Korea, an affiliate of Lotus group has been dominant and has contributed to the nephrology market with annual sales exceeding 30 million USD driven by flagship products like Kalimate® and biosimilar erythropoietin alpha for chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment Renazorb® is expected to provide another high value of clinical benefits to CKD patients in Korea”.
Shalabh Gupta, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Unicycive said: “We are especially pleased to announce our second partnership for Renazorb® in Asia and are delighted to be working with Lotus, a renowned global pharmaceutical leader. We believe this collaboration provides the optimal infrastructure for the further development and commercialization of Renazorb® in the Korean market”.
Renazorb® is a next-generation lanthanum-based phosphate binding agent utilizing proprietary nanoparticle technology being developed for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Its potential best-in-class profile has meaningful patient adherence benefits over currently available treatment options as it requires smaller and fewer number of pills per dose and is swallowed instead of chewed.