Japan-headquartered pharma firm Eisai Co. has entered into a license agreement regarding the development and commercialisation rights for the antifungal agent fosravuconazole in the Asia/Oceania region with Sato Pharmaceutical Co., also based in Japan.

Under this agreement, Eisai exclusively licenses the intellectual property rights of fosravuconazole in the given countries/regions to Sato Pharma.

Ravuconazole, the active ingredient of fosravuconazole, is an antifungal agent discovered and developed by Eisai. Fosravuconazole is a prodrug of ravuconazole, which improves its solubility and bioavailability.

In Japan, Seren Pharma and Sato Pharma have developed fosravuconazole based on the exclusive rights to develop, commercialise, and sublicense granted by Eisai. The treatment has been marketed by Sato Pharma as the oral antifungal agent Nailin for the indication of onychomycosis since July 2018, which Eisai is co-promoting.

Under the terms of the agreement, Eisai will receive a contractual upfront payment, and the rights to receive regulatory milestone payments and royalties based on sales over a certain period. Eisai will retain development and commercialisation rights related to mycetoma, a neglected tropical disease, and its associated conditions, as these are excluded from the licensing.

Upon the conclusion of this agreement, Eisai hopes to maximise the value of fosravuconazole in the Asia/Oceania region, ensuring the earliest possible contribution to patients in need of the medicine.