Menarini Group and SciClone Pharmaceuticals ink deal to commercialize drug in China; Celsion to change its name

Menarini’s Asia-Pacific subsidiary and SciClone Pharmaceuticals have entered into a licensing agreement to develop and eventually commercialize the drug Vaborem in China.

The deal is meant to address the public health threat of antimicrobial-resistant infections, specifically carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia (CRKP) infections in China. The drug is currently used in the EU to treat urinary tract infections, hospital-acquired pneumonia and intra-abdominal infections.

Menarini could net up to €115 million ($114.8 million), including milestone payments and royalties on net sales. SciClone will be responsible for clinical development locally as well as commercialization efforts. SciClone will also conduct clinical trials and handle the regulatory efforts.

“The collaboration with SciClone will facilitate greater access to anti-infective medicines and address the rising threat of anti-microbial resistance,” said CEO of Menarini Asia-Pacific Maurizio Luongo in a statement.

Celsion to change its name to Imunon

Celsion has become the latest biotech to commit to a name change.

The New Jersey-based oncology biotech announced on Monday that it is changing its name to Imunon, Inc. The company said the rebranding reflects its focus on developing therapies and vaccines for cancer and infectious diseases.

The ticker on the Nasdaq exchange will change to “IMNN” from $CLSN when trading opens on Wednesday. The biotech has also filed an amendment of its articles of incorporation to officially change its corporate name and logo, along with displaying a new website.

Corinne Le Goff

“With this name change, we are underscoring our commitment to creating a new category of medicines leveraging our proprietary plasmid DNA technology platform in the fields of immuno-oncology and vaccines,” said CEO Corinne Le Goff, in a statement.

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