Vectura Signs License & Development Agreement With Aerami Therapeutics

Vectura Group plc recently announced the signing of a global license and development agreement with Aerami Therapeutics Inc. for inhaled imatinib (VR325) for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Aerami will be responsible for the overall development and commercialisation of inhaled imatinib, with Vectura providing development services expertise and a license to its FOX mesh nebulizer technology.

Under the partnership, Vectura will receive development fees, revenue from the provision of FOX nebulizer devices and mid-single digit royalties from global net sales of imatinib, together with regulatory and success-related milestone payments. There is no upfront payment.

VR325, inhaled imatinib, was first developed by Vectura as part of its former speciality pharma pipeline. As the company pivoted to a strategy focused on the CDMO market, it announced it would cease further investment in this portfolio, instead providing development services to a more diverse range of biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the growing inhalation CDMO space.

Today’s announcement provides an opportunity for Vectura to realise value from its historical research and investment in VR325, whilst also securing new CDMO development services revenue from the product’s further development with Aerami.

Will Downie, Chief Executive Officer of Vectura, said “Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare, progressive, fatal disease with approximately 500-1000 new cases diagnosed each year in the US alone, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. In working together with Aerami, this program has the potential to impact the lives of patients around the world. Our deep inhalation expertise, especially now as a CDMO, perfectly complements the scientific capability of Aerami in the biotechnology field. We look forward to developing a strong partnership for years to come.”

Vectura is a provider of innovative inhaled drug delivery services that enable partners to bring their medicines to patients. With differentiated proprietary technology and pharmaceutical development expertise, Vectura is one of the few companies globally with the device, formulation, and development capabilities to deliver a broad range of complex inhaled therapies.

Vectura has eleven key inhaled and eleven non-inhaled products marketed by partners with global royalty streams, and a diverse partnered portfolio of drugs in clinical development. Our partners include Hikma, Novartis, Sandoz (a division of Novartis AG), Mundipharma, Kyorin, GSK, Bayer, Chiesi, Almirall, and Tianjin KingYork. For more information, visit www.vectura.com.

 Aerami Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing inhaled therapies for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and other severe respiratory diseases. Aerami’s drug device platform consists of drug aerosol formulations and cutting-edge technology that allows for precise and fast drug delivery into the small airway of the lungs. Anne Whittaker, a non-executive director of Vectura, is the CEO of Aerami and, accordingly, as part of the authorization of allowing the matter to proceed, did not participate in the deliberations or decisions making around the terms of the transaction either at Vectura or at Aerami.