Seoul: Angelini Pharma, a member of Angelini Industries, and Sovargen, a biotechnology company based in South Korea, have entered into an exclusive global option agreement to develop and commercialise SVG105, an innovative asset in brain health.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the agreement outlines that Angelini Pharma and Sovargen will jointly lead the preclinical development of SVG105. Following an initial option period, Angelini Pharma will have the option to further the compound’s clinical development and commercialisation outside selected Asian markets, specifically the Republic of Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
The partnership includes financial arrangements in which Sovargen will receive upfront and milestone payments amounting to approximately US$550 million, along with tiered royalties on net sales following approval. Angelini Pharma CEO, Jacopo Andreose, emphasized the significance of this collaboration by highlighting the persistent global challenges presented by neurological disorders like epilepsy. He noted the partnership’s potential to offer innovative treatment options to patients resistant to existing therapies.
Cheolwon Park, CEO of Sovargen, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, noting the potential of SVG105 to become a transformative therapy for brain health. SVG105 is described as a potentially first-in-class antisense oligonucleotide aimed at modulating the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a target validated for multiple brain health disorders, including drug-resistant childhood epilepsy.
This strategic alliance enhances Angelini Pharma’s growing brain health portfolio, which already includes partnerships and assets targeting rare genetic epilepsies, central nervous system disorders, and biologics that penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Brain health disorders impose significant social and economic burdens globally, with epilepsy affecting approximately 50 million individuals worldwide. Notably, up to 40 percent of these patients do not achieve seizure control despite treatment.
The agreement highlights Angelini Pharma’s dedication to addressing unmet needs in neurological diseases through innovative therapeutic approaches.