Yuhan Corporation's lung cancer treatment drug Lecraza (ingredient name RAY) has received marketing approval in Europe, following its approval in the United States, making it the first domestically produced anticancer drug to do so.
According to the industry on the 31st, the European Commission (EC) approved Yuhan Corporation's Lecraza and the antibody drug from the large U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Librevant (amivantamab), as a first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Lung cancer is divided into small cell and non-small cell types based on the size of cancer cells, and non-small cell lung cancer accounts for approximately 80% of all lung cancer cases.
With this approval, Yuhan Corporation is expected to receive an additional $30 million (about 44.2 billion won) in royalties from Johnson & Johnson. The revenue obtained from the technology export of Lecraza will increase to $240 million (about 353.7 billion won). It is also reported that Yuhan Corporation will receive a royalty of 10-12% from Lecraza sales in Europe.
Lecraza is a domestically produced new drug developed by the Korean bio company Oscotec, which Yuhan Corporation obtained through a transfer of technology and exported to Johnson & Johnson for 1.4 trillion won in 2018. In August, it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its combination therapy with Librevant. Yuhan Corporation received a contract payment of $50 million at the time of transferring Lecraza's technology, and subsequently received an additional $100 million during the clinical process. In September, it received $60 million in royalties due to the U.S. launch.
Currently, Johnson & Johnson, which holds the global development and rights of Lecraza, has applied for product approval in China and Japan, expecting to receive approval in the first half of next year. The total royalties Yuhan Corporation can receive through Lecraza amount to as much as $950 million.