On 29 September 2025, C-MER Medical Holdings Limited (“C-MER”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) announced that a subsidiary of Health Hope Pharma Limited (“HHP”) has entered into a tri-partite global licensing and collaboration agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. (“Gilead”) and Hanmi Pharm. Co., Ltd. (“Hanmi”) for Encequidar, a first-in-class P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor in the field of virology, for which HHP holds the global exclusive rights (excluding Korea).
HHP is currently exploring the potential of Encequidar for developing cross-therapeutic oral drug formulations. Its most advanced program is a combination oral paclitaxel/Encequidar therapy in oncology, which aims to replace intravenous paclitaxel used in chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. HHP plans to initiate a global Phase III clinical study and recruit the first patients in the United States and Hong Kong in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Under the agreement, HHP and Hanmi will grant Gilead the exclusive global rights to use Encequidar in the field of virology. In addition, HHP and Hanmi will provide drug supply, share technical know-how, and participate as key project partners. Both companies will receive an upfront payment, and will be eligible for development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments, as well as single-digit royalties based on net sales.
HHP is preparing for the commencement of a global multicenter Phase III clinical trial of oral paclitaxel combined with Encequidar for metastatic breast cancer in the United States, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, and plans to launch the product in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Health Hope Pharma Limited is a clinical-stage oncology biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Hong Kong, with operations in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company is dedicated to developing novel oral anticancer drugs to provide safer and more convenient alternatives to traditional intravenous therapies. Its flagship product, the oral paclitaxel/Encequidar combination, is designed to replace the widely used intravenous paclitaxel with an equivalent oral formulation, thereby improving patients’ quality of life.
Fangda Partners provided comprehensive legal services to HHP in this transaction, including deal structuring, drafting, negotiating, and revising the transaction documents and ancillary agreements. The transaction was led by Hong Kong Capital Markets Partner Arnold Pang, with the Intellectual Property team led by Partners Claudia Yun, Qi Fang, and Yin Junting, supported by associates Yu Nan, Zhang Qiyan, and Olivia Fan. The Corporate team was led by Partners Henry He, Alice Zhu, and Mark Lehmkuhler, with associates Audrey Luo, Kris Li and Echo Chueng. Fangda’s multi-practice teams worked efficiently in collaboration to ensure the smooth progression and successful completion of the transaction.
