National Cancer Center Japan and Maruho Enter License Agreement and Research Collaboration Agreement for a Novel Analgesic for Stomatitis in Cancer Treatment
Tokyo and Osaka (Japan), October 1, 2018 - National Cancer Center Japan ("NCC", Tokyo, Japan, President: Hitoshi Nakagama) and Maruho Co., Ltd. ("Maruho", Head Office: Osaka, Japan, President and CEO: Koichi Takagi) announced that they have entered into a worldwide license agreement with exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize a novel analgesic for stomatitis in cancer treatment (hereinafter "the compound") and a research collaboration agreement for the compound.
During treatment of cancer with anticancer drugs and radiotherapy etc., patients often have a wide range of stomatitis, which induces severe pain and limits fundamental life behaviors such as "eating, drinking and talking".
For patients suffering from stomatitis due to cancer treatment, treatments such as lidocaine gargle are used to relieve pain. In addition to the perception of pain, lidocaine blocks all sensory nerves and perception of taste and texture is also suppressed. This affects a patient's quality of life and there is a need for a new pain reliever.
The use of the compound was found by the NCC Division of Cancer Pathophysiology (Chief: Yasuhito Uezono) supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) Project Promoting Support for Drug Discovery (The iD3 Booster), as a treatment for refractory stomatitis caused by anticancer drugs and radiotherapy etc. From the results of preclinical trials, the compound is expected to maintain the perception of taste and texture with long-acting pain relief.
From now on, NCC will conduct basic research with Maruho to expand the possibility of the clinical application of this compound not only at the NCC Research Institute, but also at the Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, Division of Supportive Care Research and also at the NCC Hospital Supportive Care Development Center. After this, Maruho will promote clinical studies of the compound and both NCC and Maruho will cooperate in the development of the compound.
NCC and Maruho came to this agreement because Maruho's intention to plan and promote collaboration with academia matched with NCC which is a medical institution leading in cancer treatment and research in Japan.
NCC and Maruho will continue to contribute to the improvement of quality of life in cancer patients and their families by providing new therapeutic treatment options.