MEI Pharma’s lead program is Pracinostat, an HDAC inhibitor being studied for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The drug showed promising phase II results when combined with azacitidine in older patients: of 50 patients, 21 had a complete response and 19 were alive as of December 2015, with overall survival of 19.1 months. Pracinostat was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA one week before the partnership announcement, and MEI planned a phase III trial for AML in early 2017 with potential market entry in 2021 if successful. MEI is a small organization that lacks a large commercial salesforce and is partnering to access broader resources. Financially, the deal provides MEI $20 million in near-term payments, potential milestone payments up to $444 million, and a $5 million equity investment from the partner. Helsinn will assume worldwide development costs and marketing rights, enabling MEI to advance Pracinostat without funding the full development and commercialization burden.

Total raised

$5M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Aug 2016