C-MER MEDICAL (03309) announced that on September 29, 2025, its subsidiary Soricimed Biopharma Limited entered into a tripartite global licensing and cooperation agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. regarding encequidar, the first P-glycoprotein inhibitor in the virology field. Soricimed holds global exclusive rights to this drug outside of Korea.
Under the agreement, Soricimed and Hanmi will grant Gilead global exclusive rights to encequidar in the virology field. Additionally, Soricimed and Hanmi will provide drug supply, share technical knowledge, and participate as key partners in the project.
Upon meeting certain conditions and milestones during the agreement period, Soricimed will receive an initial payment of $10 million, with potential future payments reaching up to approximately $72.5 million, plus royalties at a low single-digit percentage rate on net sales.
Soricimed primarily engages in innovative drug development projects in oncology and is currently researching oral formulations of encequidar across multiple therapeutic areas. The company's most advanced project involves developing oral paclitaxel combined with encequidar for treating metastatic breast cancer, aimed at replacing intravenous paclitaxel injections in chemotherapy.
Soricimed is preparing to initiate a Phase 3 global clinical study for oral paclitaxel combined with encequidar in metastatic breast cancer treatment, with the study planned to commence by the end of 2025 across multiple centers in the United States, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.