PharmaMar and Eczacıbaşı sign a licensing agreement for Aplidin in Turkey

Aplidin is PharmaMar's second most advanced anticancer drug currently under development for the treatment of multiple myeloma and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.

Aplidin is PharmaMar's second most advanced anticancer drug currently under development for the treatment of multiple myeloma and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. The company announced in March 2016 that plitidepsin has shown positive results in a pivotal Phase III clinical trial (ADMYRE) for multiple myeloma and in September 2016, PharmaMar presented to the EMA the submission of the Marketing Authorization Application for this drug in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

"The partnership with Eczacıbaşı will help in the commercialization in Turkey of plitidepsin, developed to tackle hematologic cancer. We are looking forward to working with one of the leading Health Care companies in this country," said Luis Mora, Managing Director of PharmaMar´s Oncology Business Unit. "We are firmly committed to advancing in the development of innovative oncology therapies", he added.

Atalay Gümrah, CEO and President of the Eczacıbaşı Group, stated: "The agreement between PharmaMar and Eczacıbaşı Pharmaceuticals Marketing (EIP) offered a major advance for healthcare in Turkey, as Aplidin represented the latest innovation in cancer treatment." Elif Çelik, Executive Vice President of the Eczacıbaşı Healthcare Division, noted that "the agreement ensured that multiple myeloma patients in Turkey would have access to the most innovative treatment at the same time as patients in other EU countries". She added that "the two parties hoped to extend the partnership to innovative products in other treatment areas as well".