Spanish biotechnology firm Zeltia is in talks with three companies to sell the licence for its Kahalalide F drug to treat acute psoriasis, its chairman said on Monday. "We've decided that Kahalalide be used to treat psoriasis, where we've seen a very positive reaction," Jose Maria Fernandez Sousa told Reuters in an interview.
Kahalalide F is currently in Phase II trials for the treatment of acute psoriasis. It had originally been developed for use against lung cancer and melanoma, but Zeltia has decided not to pursue those applications.
Zeltia has decided to shift Kahalalide F for dermatological use as its cancer research unit PharmaMar focuses on its speciality: anti-cancer compounds derived from marine organisms. Yondelis, PharmaMar's star drug, is already sold to treat soft tissue sarcoma, a rare and usually fatal form of cancer that attacks muscles, fat or blood vessels.
Zeltia plans to submit Yondelis for the treatment of ovarian cancer to the EMEA (European Medicines Agency) between mid-November and mid-December, Fernandez Sousa said, with approval expected in 2009. "We should have approval by next year and start selling for ovarian cancer in the second half or by the end of next year," he said.
Partner Johnson & Johnson will file for FDA approval around the same time. If Yondelis is approved for ovarian cancer treatment, the drug will have a sales potential of 1 billion euros a year, a target which Fernandez-Sousa hopes to reach by 2012. "We don't have a crystal ball ... but the potential is there," he said.