Everest Medicines today announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Jiangsu Vcare PharmaTech Co., Ltd. (“Vcare”), for the development, registration and commercialization of Sumecigrel (formerly known as Vicagrel) across the Asia-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia, South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Taiwan region, China. Pursuant to the agreement, Everest Medicines will pay Vcare PharmaTech an upfront payment of RMB 20 million, along with subsequent milestone payments and commercial supply procurement.
This collaboration strengthens the Company’s cardiovascular portfolio and highlights Everest’s continued focus on the Asia-Pacific market, supporting the advancement of its regional strategy and the development of innovative therapies.
Sumecigrel is an antiplatelet agent and a new-generation oral P2Y12 receptor antagonist. It is being clinically developed for the treatment and prevention of atherothrombotic events such as acute coronary syndrome (ACS), ischemic stroke (IS) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD). As a novel antithrombotic drug self-developed by Vcare PharmaTech, the product is currently advancing preparations for NDA in China, the United States, Europe.
The molecular design of Sumecigrel targets the black box warning associated with clopidogrel resistance. It innovatively optimizes the metabolic pathway of clopidogrel while retaining its active metabolite, striking a better balance between therapeutic benefits and bleeding risks inherent to antiplatelet medications. Featuring faster onset of action, lower dosage, more stable efficacy, better controllable bleeding risks, reduced metabolic burden and broader clinical applicability, Sumecigrel is a novel antiplatelet candidate with prominent Best-in-Class potential. It is expected to address the increasingly personalized demands for antithrombotic therapy and become a blockbuster product in the antithrombotic market.
Cardio-cerebrovascular diseases rank among the leading causes of death worldwide. Related fatalities rose sharply to 17.9 million in 2019, accounting for approximately 32% of all global deaths. Around 85% of these deaths were attributed to myocardial infarction (a major type of ACS) and stroke. The death toll from cardio-cerebrovascular diseases further climbed to 19.2 million in 2023.
Antiplatelet drugs inhibit platelet activation, adhesion and aggregation to reduce thrombotic risks, and are widely used for the prevention and treatment of atherothrombotic diseases. P2Y12 receptor antagonists are a major category of mainstream antiplatelet medications. Currently marketed products in this class continue to face challenges in balancing variability in efficacy and bleeding risk across patients, and optimizing the overall clinical benefit–risk profile remains an important unmet medical need in this therapeutic area.
“This collaboration with Vcare PharmaTech marks another step in strengthening our presence in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Mr. Yifang Wu, Chairman of the Board of Everest Medicines. “Sumecigrel is a next-generation oral P2Y12 receptor antagonist with Best-in-Class potential, offering differentiated clinical benefits and complementing Everest’s cardiovascular pipeline. Leveraging our clinical, regulatory, and commercial capabilities across the Asia-Pacific as a global platform for innovative therapies, Everest will drive Sumecigrel’s development and commercialization to realize its full clinical and commercial value and bring new treatment options to more patients.”
“As our novel antithrombotic drug, Sumecigrel represents our first innovative pharmaceutical product, “said Dr. Gong Yanchun, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Vcare PharmaTech. “This strategic partnership with Everest Medicines serves as the first step of Sumecigrel’s global commercialization strategy, creating a win-win situation for an original innovation enterprise and an international commercial platform. Powered by AI-driven differentiated original design, Vcare PharmaTech consistently focuses on the development of innovative drugs and leading therapies, standing as a pioneer of the next-generation original innovation in the global antiplatelet field. We will accelerate the global R&D and registration progress of Sumecigrel, consolidate its global competitive edges, and contribute Chinese innovation to the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases across the Asia-Pacific and the world at large.”
As a next-generation P2Y12 receptor antagonist, Sumecigrel has completed Phase I, Phase II, China-US PK/PD bridging study and Phase III clinical trials. It has demonstrated favorable efficacy and safety with solid clinical value, and is poised to become an improved treatment option for patients with ACS, IS and PAD.
Of note, the addition of Sumecigrel further enriches Everest Medicines’ cardiovascular portfolio. As the Company continues to expand its presence in the CKM (cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic) disease space, Sumecigrel is expected to strengthen its cardiovascular product portfolio and generate synergies with existing products and pipeline assets, further deepening the Company’s presence in related therapeutic areas.
From a strategic perspective, this collaboration represents another important step in Everest Medicines’ ongoing efforts to deepen its presence across the Asia-Pacific region. Notably, the Company has continued to advance strategic partnerships and resource integration across the region. Through its collaboration with Mabworks, Everest secured the commercialization rights to Bejescin®, a third-generation anti-CD20 therapy, in multiple Asia-Pacific markets, further strengthening its portfolio in nephrology and autoimmune diseases. Industry observers believe that the licensing of Sumecigrel reflects Everest Medicines’ continued commitment to the Asia-Pacific market and its strategy of accelerating the regional development and commercialization of innovative therapies. As its regional product portfolio and operating capabilities continue to expand, Everest Medicines is well positioned to further leverage its integrated biopharmaceutical platform and accelerate the value realization of innovative therapies across the Asia-Pacific region.