On October 6, 2017 Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., Ltd. (Tokyo: 4151, President and CEO: Nobuo Hanai, “Kyowa Hakko Kirin”) reported the discontinuation for developing ARQ 197 (generic name: tivantinib) (Press release, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, OCT 6, 2017, View Source [SID1234520801]).

ARQ 197 is an oral agent whose molecular target is c-Met, which was discovered by ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQL, “ArQule”). Kyowa Hakko Kirin signed a license agreement with ArQule for the exclusive rights to the development and sales of tivantinib in Japan and some parts of Asia (China, Korea, and Taiwan) on April 27th, 2007.

Under the license agreement, Kyowa Hakko Kirin developed ARQ 197 for indications of gastric cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma in its territory. However, positive results were not acquired in any studies. Concerning the situation, Kyowa Hakko Kirin discontinued ARQ 197 development project.

“We are disappointed in these results, as we had hoped ARQ197 might offer a new option for the thousands of cancer patients,” said Mitsuo Satoh, Ph.D., Head of Research and Development Division of Kyowa Hakko Kirin. “We would like to express our sincere thanks for the patients in our studies, as well as to the investigators, for their contributions to our development. We are continuously committed to tackling the unmet medical needs in cancer.”

The Kyowa Hakko Kirin Group companies strive to contribute to the health and well-being of people around the world by creating new value through the pursuit of advances in life sciences and technologies.

About c-Met
c-Met is receptor tyrosine kinase. When abnormally activated, the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase plays multiple roles in aspects of human cancer, including cancer cell growth, survival, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis.