Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc has announced that the company has signed a definitive agreement under which Jazz has acquired Redx Pharma's (Redx) pan-RAF inhibitor program for the potential treatment of RAF and RAS mutant tumors.  Redx will perform certain pre-clinical activities for the program under a separate collaboration agreement with Jazz.  Jazz will be responsible for further development, regulatory activities and commercialization.

Under the terms of the agreement, Jazz will pay Redx an upfront payment of $3.5 million.  Redx is eligible to receive up to $203 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments from Jazz, and incremental tiered royalties in mid-single digit percentage, based on any future net sales.

"We are excited to acquire Redx's pan-RAF inhibitor program.  It has the potential to work in RAF driven tumors where current selective B-RAF inhibitors and their respective combinations are ineffective due to acquired resistance mechanisms.  In addition, there is the potential to address RAS driven tumors," said Robert Iannone, M.D., M.S.C.E., executive vice president, research and development of Jazz Pharmaceuticals.  "We look forward to advancing the pan-RAF inhibitor program that is part of a novel class of next generation precision oncology drugs and is highly complementary to our growing R&D portfolio of early-stage, innovative, hematology/oncology therapies."