Basilea licenses late-stage oncology drug candidate derazantinib from ArQule

Basilea Pharmaceutica (SIX: BSLN) announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQL) for its oncology drug candidate ARQ 087 (derazantinib), which targets the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) family of kinases. The exclusive license is worldwide, excluding the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

As quoted in the press release:

Ronald Scott, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are very excited about this partnership with ArQule. Derazantinib is an ideal match for our existing clinical oncology portfolio. It is a targeted therapy building on a solid biomarker approach in an area where patients currently have limited treatment options. This transaction underscores our continued commitment to expand our R&D portfolio with novel compounds focused on overcoming the clinical problem of resistance in oncology and infectious diseases. Our clinical oncology portfolio now includes three drug candidates in different stages of development. We continue to focus on further broadening our R&D portfolio through internal and external innovation.”

Derazantinib is an orally administered small-molecule inhibitor of the FGFR family of kinases and was developed by ArQule for the potential treatment of various solid tumors. It is currently in a clinical study for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), a form of biliary tract cancer for a potential registration. In addition, it is being investigated in a phase 1b study in patients with other solid tumors. FGFR alterations have been identified as potentially important therapeutic targets for various cancers, including iCCA, bladder, breast, gastric and lung cancers.¹ Current scientific literature suggests FGFR alterations exist in a range of 5% to 30% in these cancers.

Click here to read the full press release.