On May 6, 2015 ARIAD Pharmaceuticals reported that ARIAD has granted Gen Ilac exclusive rights to distribute Iclusig (ponatinib) in Turkey for patients with Philadelphia-positive leukemias(Press release, Ariad, MAY 6, 2015, View Source [SID:1234503619]).

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Gen Ilac was granted the exclusive right to sell Iclusig as an investigational product in Turkey on a named-patient basis and will provide associated medical affairs and regulatory support. ARIAD retains the option to file for marketing authorization at a later date and, if approved, to hold the Marketing Authorization for Iclusig in Turkey. Gen Ilac has the exclusive right then to market and commercialize the product upon approval.

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"This agreement with Gen Ilac furthers our mission to provide Iclusig to patients in geographies beyond our core commercial footprint," said Marty J. Duvall, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of ARIAD. "We are excited by Gen Ilac’s experience and proven capabilities in this area, which makes them an ideal partner to introduce Iclusig to patients and physicians in Turkey."

"We are excited by our partnership with ARIAD and the hope it provides to refractory CML patients in Turkey," said Abidin Gulmus, chief executive officer of GEN ILAC. "This partnership aligns well with our company mission and our expertise in providing treatments in the field of hematology."

About Iclusig (ponatinib)

Iclusig is a kinase inhibitor. The primary target for Iclusig is BCR-ABL, an abnormal tyrosine kinase that is expressed in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL). Iclusig was designed using ARIAD’s computational and structure-based drug design platform specifically to inhibit the activity of BCR-ABL. Iclusig targets not only native BCR-ABL but also its isoforms that carry mutations that confer resistance to treatment, including the T315I mutation, which has been associated with resistance to other approved TKIs.

On May 6, 2015 Gilead Sciences and EpiTherapeutics ApS, a privately-held Danish company, announced the signing of a definitive agreement pursuant to which Gilead has acquired EpiTherapeutics for $65 million, subject to certain purchase price adjustments, to be financed through available cash on hand (Press release, Gilead Sciences, MAY 6, 2015, View Source [SID:1234503618]).

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EpiTherapeutics has generated a library of first-in-class, selective small molecule inhibitors of epigenetic regulation of gene transcription, in particular histone demethylases. The company’s lead pre-clinical compounds are being studied for the treatment of certain cancers.

"Epigenetics is a promising area of research and the EpiTherapeutics team is a recognized scientific leader in this field," said Norbert Bischofberger, PhD, Gilead’s Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer. "This therapeutic class represents a strategic fit with our existing research portfolio, including the potential for novel combination approaches. We look forward to working with colleagues from EpiTherapeutics to advance these programs toward clinical development in diseases with significant unmet medical need."

"EpiTherapeutics has done groundbreaking work in a new therapeutic class of small molecule inhibitors with broad implications across various disease states," said Martin Bonde, PhD, EpiTherapeutics’ Chief Executive Officer. "We are confident that with Gilead’s acquisition of the company, our discoveries will have the best chance to be developed into therapies that will benefit patients."

Investors in EpiTherapeutics are NOVO Seeds, SEED Capital, Lundbeckfond Emerge, MS Ventures and Astellas Venture. Back Bay Life Science Advisors of Boston advised EpiTherapeutics on the transaction.

About EpiTherapeutics

EpiTherapeutics is developing novel innovative cancer drugs based on epigenetics, a therapeutic area researched by renowned scientist Professor Kristian Helin and his group at Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) at University of Copenhagen. EpiTherapeutics’ development programs are focused on enzymes involved in the regulation of transcription in cancer. For more information, please visit: www.epitherapeutics.com.