Lotus Pharmaceutical and LENZ Therapeutics, Inc. announced an exclusive licensing and commercialization agreement for LNZ100, an investigational treatment for presbyopia. Under the agreement, Lotus will commercialize the product in South Korea and selected Southeast Asian countries. The deal includes upfront, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments totaling up to USD 125 million, along with tiered double-digit royalties based on future net sales.
LENZ Therapeutics is a pre-commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing the first and only aceclidine-based eye drop aimed at improving vision in patients with presbyopia. In October 2024, LENZ announced that the U.S. FDA had accepted the New Drug Application (NDA) for LNZ100. Presbyopia affects an estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide, including 128 million in the United States. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of August 8, 2025, and has indicated that it does not plan to convene an advisory committee meeting for this application.
According to the terms of the agreement, LENZ is eligible to receive up to USD 125 million in upfront, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, as well as tiered double-digit royalties on future net sales. Lotus will hold exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, register, and commercialize LNZ100 for the treatment of presbyopia in South Korea and designated Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Eef Schimmelpennink, President and CEO of LENZ Therapeutics, stated, “We are thrilled to partner with the Lotus team to bring LNZ100 to Southeast Asia. Their global partnerships, robust commercial infrastructure in the region, and a strong track record of double-digit revenue growth for six consecutive years—exceeding USD 500 million in the most recent fiscal year—make them an ideal partner. Once approved, we look forward to Lotus delivering LNZ100 to this commercially significant and promising region. We are committed to working with leading commercial pharmaceutical companies outside the U.S. to make LNZ100 available to patients around the world.”
Petar Vazharov, CEO of Lotus Pharmaceutical, commented, “We are excited to be LENZ’s trusted partner in bringing this transformative product to more than 100 million presbyopia patients in the region, significantly improving their quality of life. Our commitment to excellence drives us to pursue the necessary regulatory approvals and to leverage our extensive channel network to ensure seamless access to this life-changing solution. Our dedication to innovation and safety remains steadfast as we continue to provide better, safer medications for the markets we serve.”
Resource: 美時亞洲市場產品續擴增，拿下老花眼藥LNZ100韓國及東南亞獨家商化權
