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Pierre Fabre Laboratories Strengthen R&D Portfolio and Announce the Acquisition of the Worldwide Rights for PFL-721 and PFL-241
PFL-721 and PFL-241 are mutant-specific EGFR inhibitors with best-in-class potential, being developed as treatment options for emergent and unmet medical needs in non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC")
CASTRES, France, June 16, 2025 /CNW/ -- Pierre Fabre Laboratories are pleased to announce the acquisition from Antares Therapeutics, Inc. ("Antares"), a spin-out of Scorpion Therapeutics, Inc., of the worldwide rights for PFL-721 and PFL-241 (formerly known as STX-721 and STX-241, respectively). Under the terms of the agreement, Pierre Fabre Laboratories will expand its previous agreement with Scorpion Therapeutics to hold the global rights for both assets and will be leading the clinical development of both programs.
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PFL-721 is a mutant-specific EGFR exon 20 and HER2 exon 20 inhibitor, soon to transition to dose optimization within a first-in-human trial in NSCLC. PFL-241 is a mutant-specific, brain penetrant, 4th generation EGFR inhibitor, currently in dose escalation in a first-in-human trial, to address C797S resistance mutations in NSCLC patients.
NSCLC is the most common sub-type of lung cancer and various EGFR mutations are the most frequent drivers of NSCLC, occurring in approximately 14-38 percent of tumors, depending on geography. [1], [2], [3]
"With this agreement with Antares, Pierre Fabre Laboratories now own the global rights for all the assets within our R&D portfolio: exarafenib, PFL-002 (formerly VERT-002), PFL-721 and PFL-241. The R&D team is fully engaged and committed to progress the clinical development of these programs, aiming at providing novel and differentiated precision medicines to patient populations with significant unmet needs." said Francesco Hofmann, Head of Research and Development for Medical Care at Pierre Fabre Laboratories.
About Pierre Fabre Laboratories
Pierre Fabre Laboratories is the world's second-largest dermo-cosmetics company and one of Europe's leading pharmaceutical laboratories. Its Dermo-cosmetics & Personal Care portfolio includes international brands such as Eau Thermale Avène, Ducray, Klorane, A-Derma, René Furterer, Même Cosmetics, Darrow and Elgydium. Its Medical Care activity covers 5 main therapeutic fields: oncology, dermatology, rare diseases, primary care and family health care.
[1] The Prevalence of EGFR Mutation in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Oncotarget, October 2016
[2] EGFR Mutation Incidence in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, J Cancer Res., August 2015
[3] Molecular Epidemiology of EGFR Mutations in Asian Patients, PLoS ONE, November 2015
