Oncimmune partners with R-Pharm to take 'EarlyCDT Lung' to Russia

Immunodiagnostics company Oncimmune Holdings has signed an exclusive commercial partnership with R-Pharm to use its ‘EarlyCDT Lung’ product for the early detection of lung cancer in Russia and the member states of the Eurasian Customs Union, it announced on Thursday.

The AIM-traded firm said that, under the terms of the agreement, it granted an option to R-Pharm to extend the use of EarlyCDT Lung into the Commonwealth of Independent States countries of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Georgia.

It said the commercial partnership with R-Pharm was for an initial term of five years, and would generate revenues of at least £5m, including milestone payments of £2.75m during the period.

R-Pharm would commercialise EarlyCDT Lung in both lung cancer screening and nodule risk assessment in the region.

Oncimmune explained that Russia had 38 million smokers - the highest number in Europe, with more than 60,000 lung cancer diagnoses in 2018 and approximately 55,000 deaths.

The strategic intent for R-Pharm was to maximise the value of EarlyCDT Lung within a new screening programme in Moscow, and eventually across Russia.

R-Pharm would drive local product registration of EarlyCDT Lung in Russia, which had already started.

Oncimmune said R-Pharm would also bear all sales and marketing costs associated with commercialisation, expected from the second half of 2019.

It was also anticipated that the partnership would see some manufacturing for the local market transferred to R-Pharm in the medium term.

“Russia has significant potential as a screening market with a large high-risk population,” said Oncimmune chief executive officer Dr Adam Hill.

“Following the successful ECLS study, this partnership further highlights the growing international acceptance of EarlyCDT Lung's utility as a screening device for early stage lung cancer.

“I am delighted to have Alexey and his team at R-Pharm join us to unlock the potential of screening in Russia, broadening further the commercial reach of our EarlyCDT product portfolio.”

Alexey Repik, chairman of R-Pharm, added that his company was “delighted” to be forming a partnership with Oncimmune to tackle “one of the most important” health challenges in Russia.

“By introducing EarlyCDT Lung, first at the health system level in Moscow before rolling out a national screening programme, we aim to save lives and costs for the health system by detecting lung cancer sooner,” Repik explained.

“R-Pharm will be investing up to £3.5m to build the infrastructure needed to establish the screening programme in Moscow and bring EarlyCDT Lung-led screening to Russia.”