Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Gilead Sciences, Inc. have entered into an exclusive license agreement for the development and commercialization of ONO-4059, ONO's oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor for the treatment of B-cell malignancies and other diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead will pay ONO an upfront payment plus additional payments based upon achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones. The companies will collaborate jointly on global development of ONO-4059. Gilead will have exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ONO-4059 in all countries of the world outside of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (countries, where ONO retains development and commercialization rights.

ONO-4059 is a selective, once-daily, oral inhibitor of BTK, which has been shown to play a role in the survival and proliferation of malignant B-cells. ONO has presented preliminary Phase I data showing clinical activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) at several scientific conferences. ONO and Gilead plan to develop ONO-4059 for the treatment of B-cell malignancies and other diseases as a monotherapy and in combination with approved and investigational agents, including combinations with kinase inhibitors in Gilead's portfolio.

Source: Ono Pharmaceutical