Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Otsuka) today announces that the exclusive licensing contract that has been in effect with OncoTherapy Science, Inc. (OTS) for the development, manufacture, and marketing of a peptide therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, will be allowed to expire, following 180-day prior notification, at the scheduled end date of the contract period. A sublicensing contract which has been in effect with Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. for the manufacture and marketing in Japan of OTS102, a therapeutic vaccine, will also be allowed to expire on the same date.
Otsuka will continue its efforts in oncology as a priority area. This will include the development of the peptide therapeutic vaccine OCV-C02, for which a phase 1 clinical study is currently underway in colon cancer based on a contract with OTS.