Country for PR: United Kingdom
Contributor: PR Newswire Europe
Wednesday, December 22 2021 - 01:50
AsiaNet
Karyopharm and Menarini Group Enter into Exclusive License Agreement to Commercialize NEXPOVIO (R) (selinexor) in Europe and Other Key Global Territories
NEWTON, Mass. and FLORENCE, Italy, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

- Menarini Group Obtains Exclusive Rights to Commercialize NEXPOVIO for the 
Treatment of Hematologic and Solid Tumor Oncology Indications in Europe 
(including the United Kingdom), Latin America and Other Key Countries

- Karyopharm to Receive $75 Million Upfront, then Eligible to Receive Up to 
$202.5 Million in Future Milestones, Plus Tiered, Double-digit Royalties on Net 
Sales 

Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: KPTI), a commercial-stage pharmaceutical 
company pioneering novel cancer therapies, and the Menarini Group, 
("Menarini"), a privately-held, leading international pharmaceutical company, 
today announced their entry into an exclusive licensing agreement whereby 
Menarini will commercialize NEXPOVIO, Karyopharm's first-in-class, oral 
Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) compound, in Europe and other key 
global territories.

Under the terms of the agreement, Menarini received exclusive rights to 
commercialize NEXPOVIO for the treatment of oncology indications in the 
European Union and other European countries (including the United Kingdom), 
Latin America and other key countries. In exchange, Karyopharm will receive an 
upfront payment of $75 million (USD) in 2021 and is eligible to receive up to 
an additional $202.5 million in future milestones, plus tiered double-digit 
royalties on net sales of NEXPOVIO in the licensed territories.  

"Menarini is a global pharmaceutical company, with a strong heritage and 
footprint in Europe and an unwavering commitment to patients, that is dedicated 
to innovation and bringing new treatment options in oncology.  Menarini is an 
ideal partner to maximize selinexor's potential to have a positive impact on 
the treatment of cancer in Europe, Latin America and other key countries and 
this transaction marks an important step forward toward that goal," said 
Richard Paulson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Karyopharm. "With a 
shared vision on the potential of selinexor and Menarini's commercialization 
expertise, this agreement aligns our two companies with the common goal of 
expanding the number of patients who can access NEXPOVIO in these important 
global territories."

"We are delighted to partner with Karyopharm to provide NEXPOVIO in Europe, 
Latin America and other key countries in the world," said Elcin Barker Ergun, 
Chief Executive Officer of the Menarini Group."Patients suffering from multiple 
myeloma continuously need different options as resistance develops to first 
line therapies and the unique mechanism of action of selinexor makes it an 
ideal partner as a backbone therapy in second line and beyond. The potential 
further expansion of NEXPOVIO in solid tumors, such as in endometrial cancers, 
where limited options exist, underline the wide potential of selinexor in 
playing a role in cancer treatments aligning well with our mission of providing 
therapies that can prolong patient lives."    

NEXPOVIO has received conditional marketing authorization from the European 
Commission in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple 
myeloma in adult patients who have received at least four prior therapies and 
whose disease is refractory to at least two proteasome inhibitors, two 
immunomodulatory agents, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, and who have 
demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. The European Medicines 
Agency (EMA) has validated the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for 
NEXPOVIO in combination with Velcade (R) (bortezomib) and low-dose 
dexamethasone for the treatment of multiple myeloma following at least one 
prior therapy. The MAA will be reviewed by the Committee for Medicinal Products 
for Human Use (CHMP), which will issue an opinion to the European Commission 
regarding the potential approval for the expanded indication. This review is 
expected to be completed during the first half of 2022.

About NEXPOVIO (R) (selinexor)

NEXPOVIO, which is marketed as XPOVIO in the U.S., is a first-in-class, oral 
Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) compound. NEXPOVIO functions by 
selectively binding to and inhibiting the nuclear export protein exportin 1 
(XPO1, also called CRM1). NEXPOVIO blocks the nuclear export of tumor 
suppressor, growth regulatory and anti-inflammatory proteins, leading to 
accumulation of these proteins in the nucleus and enhancing their anti-cancer 
activity in the cell. The forced nuclear retention of these proteins can 
counteract a multitude of the oncogenic pathways that, unchecked, allow cancer 
cells with severe DNA damage to continue to grow and divide in an unrestrained 
fashion. NEXPOVIO (selinexor) has been granted conditional marketing 
authorization by the European Commission in combination with dexamethasone for 
the treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients who have received at least 
four prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least two proteasome 
inhibitors, two immunomodulatory agents, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, 
and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy.

Therapeutic indication for NEXPOVIO in the EU as well as The EEA Countries of 
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

NEXPOVIO is indicated in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of 
multiple myeloma in adult patients who have received at least four prior 
therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least two proteasome 
inhibitors, two immunomodulatory agents and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, 
and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION 

Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to selinexor.

Special warnings and precautions for use:

Recommended concomitant treatments
Patients should be advised to maintain adequate fluid and caloric intake 
throughout treatment. Intravenous hydration should be considered for patients 
at risk of dehydration.

Prophylactic concomitant treatment with a 5-HT3 antagonist and/or other 
anti-nausea agents should be provided prior to and during treatment with 
NEXPOVIO.

Haematology
Patients should have their complete blood counts (CBC) assessed at baseline, 
during treatment, and as clinically indicated. Monitor more frequently during 
the first two months of treatment.

Thrombocytopenia: 
Thrombocytopenic events (thrombocytopenia and platelet count decreased) were 
frequently reported in adult patients receiving selinexor, which can be severe 
(Grade 3/4). Patients should be monitored for signs and symptoms of bleeding 
and evaluated promptly.

Neutropenia:  
Severe neutropenia (Grade 3/4) has been reported with selinexor.
Patients with neutropenia should be monitored for signs of infection and 
evaluated promptly.

Gastrointestinal toxicity: 
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, which sometimes can be severe and may require the 
use of anti-emetic and anti-diarrhoeal medicinal products.

Weight loss and anorexia: 
Patients should have their body weight, nutritional status and volume checked 
at baseline, during treatment, and as clinically indicated. Monitoring should 
be more frequent during the first two months of treatment.

Confusional state and dizziness: 
Patients should be instructed to avoid situations where dizziness or 
confusional state may be a problem and to not take other medicinal products 
that may cause dizziness or confusional state without adequate medical advice. 
Patients should be advised not to drive or operate heavy machinery until 
symptoms resolve.

Hyponatraemia: 
Patients should have their sodium levels checked at baseline, during treatment, 
and as clinically indicated. Monitoring should be more frequent during the 
first two months of treatment.

Tumour lysis syndrome (TLS): 
TLS has been reported in patients receiving therapy with selinexor. patients at 
a high risk for TLS should be monitored closely. Treat TLS promptly in 
accordance with institutional guidelines.

Fertility, pregnancy and lactation
Women of childbearing potential/contraception in males and females: 
Women of childbearing potential and male adult patients of reproductive 
potential should be advised to use effective contraceptive measures or abstain 
from sexual intercourse while being treated with selinexor and for at least 1 
week following the last dose of selinexor.

Pregnancy: 
There are no data from the use of selinexor in pregnant women.  Selinexor is 
not recommended during pregnancy and in women of childbearing potential not 
using contraception.

Breast-feeding: 
It is unknown whether selinexor or its metabolites are excreted in human milk. 
A risk to breast-fed children cannot be excluded. Breast-feeding should be 
discontinued during treatment with selinexor and for 1 week after the last dose.


Undesirable effects

Summary of the safety profile
The most frequent adverse reactions (30%) of selinexor in combination with 
dexamethasone were nausea, thrombocytopenia, fatigue, anaemia, decreased 
appetite, decreased weight, diarrhoea, vomiting, hyponatraemia, neutropenia and 
leukopenia.

The most commonly reported serious adverse reactions (3%) were pneumonia, 
sepsis, thrombocytopenia, acute kidney injury, and anaemia.

Description of selected adverse reactions
Infections: Infection was the most common non-haematological toxicity. Upper 
respiratory tract infection and pneumonia were the most commonly reported 
infections with 25% of reported infections being serious and fatal infections 
occurring in 3% of treated adult patients.

Elderly population
Patients 75 years and older had a higher incidence of discontinuation due to an 
adverse reaction, higher incidence of serious adverse reactions, and higher 
incidence of fatal adverse reactions.

Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions after authorization of the medicinal 
product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk 
balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report 
any suspected adverse reactions via the national reporting system listed in 
Appendix V.

Please see NEXPOVIO Summary of Product Characteristics and European Public 
Assessment Report at 
https://ec.europa.eu/health/documents/community-register/html/h1537.htm

About Karyopharm Therapeutics

Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: KPTI) is a commercial-stage 
pharmaceutical company pioneering novel cancer therapies and dedicated to the 
discovery, development, and commercialization of first-in-class drugs directed 
against nuclear export for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. 
Karyopharm's Selective Inhibitor of Nuclear Export (SINE) compounds function by 
binding with and inhibiting the nuclear export protein XPO1 (or CRM1). 
Karyopharm's lead compound, XPOVIO (R) (selinexor), is approved in the U.S. in 
multiple hematologic malignancy indications, including in combination with 
Velcade (R) (bortezomib) and dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients 
with multiple myeloma after at least one prior therapy, in combination with 
dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with heavily pretreated 
multiple myeloma and as a monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with 
relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. NEXPOVIO (R) (selinexor) 
has also been granted conditional marketing authorization in combination with 
dexamethasone for adult patients with heavily pretreated multiple myeloma by 
the European Commission. In addition to single-agent and combination activity 
against a variety of human cancers, SINE compounds have also shown biological 
activity in models of neurodegeneration, inflammation, autoimmune disease, 
certain viruses and wound-healing. Karyopharm has several investigational 
programs in clinical or preclinical development. For more information, please 
visit www.karyopharm.com.

About Menarini Group

The Menarini Group is a leading international pharmaceutical and diagnostics 
company, with a turnover of $4.2 billion and over 17,000 employees. Menarini is 
focused on therapeutic areas with high unmet needs with products for oncology, 
cardiology, pneumology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, diabetology, 
inflammation, and analgesia. With 18 production sites and 10 Research and 
Development centers, Menarini's products are available in 140 countries 
worldwide. 

Menarini has a deep commitment for developing treatments addressing oncological 
and hematologic diseases. Menarini actively develops Elzonris (marketed in US 
and Europe for BPDCN) for multiple hematologic malignancies, including AML, s 
CMML and myelofibrosis, and elacestrant and felezenexor for solid tumor 
indications. Additionally, the FDA recently granted MEN1703 an orphan drug 
designation for AML. For further information, please visit www.menarini.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of 
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking 
statements include those regarding the potential to receive milestone and 
royalty payments under the license agreement with Menarini, the success of 
Karyopharm's arrangement with Menarini and the parties' ability to work 
effectively together, the timing of submissions to regulatory authorities, 
Karyopharm's expectations and plans relating to XPOVIO for the treatment of 
hematologic malignancies or certain solid tumors; the expected design of the 
Company's clinical trials; and the therapeutic potential of and potential 
clinical development plans for Karyopharm's drug candidates, especially 
selinexor. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and 
uncertainties, many of which are beyond Karyopharm's control, that may cause 
actual events or results to differ materially from Karyopharm's current 
expectations. For example, there can be no guarantee that any of Karyopharm's 
drug candidates, including selinexor, will successfully complete necessary 
clinical development phases or that development of any of Karyopharm's drug 
candidates will continue. Further, there can be no guarantee that any positive 
developments in the development or commercialization of Karyopharm's drug 
candidate portfolio will result in stock price appreciation. Management's 
expectations and, therefore, any forward-looking statements in this press 
release could also be affected by risks and uncertainties relating to a number 
of other factors, including the following: the ability of Karyopharm or 
Menarini to fully perform their respective obligations under the license 
agreement; the risk that the COVID-19 pandemic could disrupt Karyopharm's 
business more severely than it currently anticipates, including by negatively 
impacting sales of XPOVIO, interrupting or delaying research and development 
efforts, impacting the ability to procure sufficient supply for the development 
and commercialization of selinexor or other product candidates, delaying 
ongoing or planned clinical trials, impeding the execution of business plans, 
planned regulatory milestones and timelines, or inconveniencing patients; the 
adoption of XPOVIO in the commercial marketplace, the timing and costs involved 
in commercializing XPOVIO or any of Karyopharm's drug candidates that receive 
regulatory approval; the ability to retain regulatory approval of XPOVIO or any 
of Karyopharm's drug candidates that receive regulatory approval; Karyopharm's 
results of clinical trials and preclinical studies, including subsequent 
analysis of existing data and new data received from ongoing and future 
studies; the content and timing of decisions made by the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration and other regulatory authorities, investigational review boards 
at clinical trial sites and publication review bodies, including with respect 
to the need for additional clinical studies; the ability of Karyopharm or its 
third party collaborators or successors in interest to fully perform their 
respective obligations under the applicable agreement and the potential future 
financial implications of such agreement; Karyopharm's ability to obtain and 
maintain requisite regulatory approvals and to enroll patients in its clinical 
trials; unplanned cash requirements and expenditures; development or regulatory 
approval of drug candidates by Karyopharm's competitors for products or product 
candidates in which Karyopharm is currently commercializing or developing; and 
Karyopharm's ability to obtain, maintain and enforce patent and other 
intellectual property protection for any of its products or product candidates. 
These and other risks are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in 
Karyopharm's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 
2021, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 
November 3, 2021, and in other filings that Karyopharm may make with the SEC in 
the future. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release 
speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, Karyopharm 
expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, 
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

XPOVIO (R) and NEXPOVIO (R) are registered trademarks of Karyopharm 
Therapeutics Inc. Any other trademarks referred to in this press release are 
the property of their respective owners.

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Source: Menarini Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite 

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