AmacaThera has secured an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with Pacira BioSciences worth up to USD 230 million for AMT-143, an investigational long-acting non-opioid anesthetic.
This agreement blankets the development as well as commercialization of the anesthetic for managing postoperative pain.
The deal covers an upfront payment of USD 5 million to AmacaThera, with the capacity for up to USD 225 million in future milestone payments, as well as a tiered royalty structure on net sales.
The collaboration will primarily focus on clinical development, with AmacaThera leading certain trials. Pacira will handle the funding of activities leading up to the commercial launch.
A Phase II trial is scheduled for 2026, after which Pacira will take charge of AMT-143's development, manufacturing, and commercialization.
AMT-143, AmacaThera's hydrogel-based drug delivery platform, enables sustained, precise, and adjustable release of active therapeutics.
Executive Statement
According to AmacaThera CEO Mike Cooke, this partnership with Pacira is a major validation of our tunable hydrogel platform and our approach to developing long-acting therapies. This partnership allows us to accelerate AMT-143’s development whilst demonstrating the strength, versatility, and commercial appeal of our technology to future partners.
According to Pacira BioSciences managing director and CMO Jonathan Slonin, they are excited to expand our leadership in innovative, opioid-sparing pain management with the addition of this highly complementary asset to our pipeline. They look forward to advancing this exciting asset into Phase II clinical development in partnership with AmacaThera.