Yuhan Corporation will receive 20.7 billion won as a technology fee for the commercialization of the lung cancer new drug ‘Leclaza (ingredient name: lazertinib)’ in Japan.
Yuhan Corporation noted that it is scheduled to receive $15 million (approximately 20.7 billion won) within 60 days for the milestone achievements of lazertinib, which was licensed to Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Janssen.
This is the result of Leclaza being launched in Japan on the 21st. Going forward, the company is expected to continue receiving ongoing technology fees (royalties) from sales of Leclaza in Japan.
Leclaza is a lung cancer new drug that Yuhan Corporation introduced from the domestic biotech company Oscotec in 2015 and transferred to Janssen Biotech in 2018. It succeeded in new drug development through technology transfer and clinical trials.
In Korea, it received its first product approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in January 2021, and its designation was expanded in June 2023 to the first-line treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations.
In the United States and Europe, it was approved as a first-line treatment for patients with EGFR mutation non-small cell lung cancer in combination with J&J’s antibody drug Rybrevant in August and December 2024. It was further approved in Japan this February.
Thus, the contract fee and milestones obtained by Yuhan Corporation through the transfer of lazertinib technology include a contract fee of $50 million in November 2018 and $60 million for the commercialization milestone in the U.S. started in September last year, totaling $225 million (approximately 310.4 billion won). The remaining milestones are $725 million (1.3 trillion won), and the royalties derived from net sales will be received separately.
The combination therapy of Rybrevant and lazertinib has obtained product approvals in regions including the United States, Japan, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Canada. In China, it is undergoing the approval process. Once commercialization begins in each region, Yuhan Corporation is expected to receive additional milestones of $30 million in Europe and $45 million in China.