Novaremed Enters Into an Exclusive Option and License Agreement With NeuroFront for the Non-opioid Neuropathic Pain Treatment, NRD.E1, for Greater China and Singapore
21.7.2022 10:58:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Novaremed AG and NeuroFront Therapeutics (Hong Kong) Limited jointly announce the signing of an exclusive collaboration and commercialization agreement for Novaremed’s innovative non-opioid investigational drug, NRD.E1, being developed for the treatment of diabetes-related neuropathic pain and other neuropathic pain indications. Under the terms of the agreement, Novaremed is eligible to receive from NeuroFront over USD 130 million in option and exercise fees as well as development, regulatory and sales milestone payments plus royalties on net sales.
Under the terms of the agreement, Novaremed will grant NeuroFront an exclusive option to obtain exclusive development, commercialization and manufacturing rights to NRD.E1, Novaremed’s first-in-class, innovative non-opioid investigational drug candidate for the treatment of neuropathic pain. The agreement allows NeuroFront to develop and commercialize NRD.E1 as treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN) and any other neuropathic pain indications in the Greater China territory (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) and Singapore.
NeuroFront has the right to exercise its license option at its discretion, but no later than upon completion of the Phase 2b trial of NRD.E1 in PDPN, which will start patient enrollment in coming weeks.
In case NeuroFront successfully develops and registers NRD.E1 in additional neuropathic pain indications in the licensed territory, Novaremed is also eligible to receive additional development and regulatory milestone payments for each additional indication.
“We are very delighted collaborating with NeuroFront to advance our non-opioid neuropathic pain treatment for patients suffering from PDPN and other neuropathic pain indications in China. Currently, approved medications for PDPN provide inadequate pain relief and are associated with many intolerable side effects. Based on both preclinical and clinical data, we believe NRD.E1 has the potential to offer unique benefits and revolutionize the way PDPN is treated,” said Isaac Kobrin, MD, Executive Chairman of Novaremed. “NeuroFront’s development and commercial expertise and its focus on innovative CNS drugs is complementary to our expertise and an ideal fit for Novaremed.”
“There are up to 19 million patients suffering from PDPN in China, but no new innovative drug has been introduced in the market for more than 15 years. There exists a significant unmet medical need and hence a great opportunity for NRD.E1, a first-in-class, novel treatment that has already demonstrated clinical effectiveness in a Phase 2a clinical trial and subsequently received US FDA Fast Track Designation and NIH sponsorship for its Phase 2b trial,” said June Yan, CEO of NeuroFront. “NeuroFront is very excited to partner with Novaremed to change the lives of many PDPN patients in Greater China and Singapore.”
This partnership and the transaction were facilitated with the assistance of Cukierman and Company Investment House.
About NRD.E1 and the treatment of chronic pain
NRD.E1 is an orally active small molecule with a novel mechanism of action by modulating Lyn kinase and has patent protection until 2040. NRD.E1 is Novaremed’s lead drug candidate currently being developed to treat painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN). Novaremed successfully completed three Phase 1 studies [1] and one double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a dose-finding proof-of-concept study [2] in which NRD.E1 showed a clinically relevant reduction in patient-reported pain (measured as an improvement in mean neuropathic pain score) and was very well tolerated at all doses tested.
On the basis of these results, NRD.E1 has been granted Fast Track Designation by the US FDA and was selected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US as the only oral agent to be included in the NIH-HEAL (Help End Long-term Addiction) program. The NIH will sponsor and execute a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b study in patients with moderate to severe PDPN in the US. Recruitment into this clinical trial will start in coming weeks.
About NeuroFront
NeuroFront is a China-based clinical stage neuroscience biotech company with a focus on developing and commercializing innovative neuroscience therapies to address unmet needs and improve patients' lives in China and Asia. NeuroFront was established by top-tier life sciences investors, including Nan Fung Life Sciences and Pivotal bioVenture Partners China, and is led by an elite team of neuroscience industry veterans with substantial and compelling expertise in China and globally in both R&D and the commercialization of CNS products. NeuroFront is building a portfolio of innovative, transformative CNS therapies that treat migraine, painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, depression, ADHD, and other CNS diseases with high unmet medical needs. For more information: www.neurofrontrx.com.
About Novaremed
Novaremed AG, a privately held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, is developing a pipeline of innovative medications for chronic pain management to address the high unmet medical need for better pain relief and as an alternative to opioids. Its lead product is NRD.E1, an orally active non-opioid small molecule with a novel mechanism of action, has FDA Fast Track Designation and IND-approval to proceed with a Phase 2b clinical trial for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN). The earlier stage pipeline addressing chronic neuropathic pain includes the development candidates MP-101 (Phase 2 stage), and MP-103 (preclinical stage), targeting the unmet medical need of prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Novaremed Ltd (Israel) and Metys Pharmaceuticals AG (Switzerland) are fully owned subsidiaries of Novaremed AG, domiciled in Basel (Switzerland). For more information: www.novaremed.com.
References
[1] Tiecke E., Rainisio M., Guentert T., Müller S., Hochman L., Kaplan E., Mangialaio S. (2022). First-in-human single-ascending-dose, multiple-dose and food interaction studies of NRD.E1, an innovative non-opioid therapy for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development (CPDD). (https://accp1.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cpdd.1103)
[2] Tiecke E., Rainisio M., Eisenberg E., Wainstein J., Kaplan E., Silverberg M., Hochman L., Mangialaio S. (2022). NRD.E1, an innovative non-opioid therapy for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy – a randomized proof of concept study. European Journal of Pain. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.1989)
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220721005391/en/
Contact information
Contact for Novaremed
Mark Altmeyer, Executive Member of the Board
mark.altmeyer@novaremed.com
Contact for NeuroFront
Bin Yao, VP of Operations and Commercialization
bin.yao@neurofrontrx.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
58% of Consumers Say They Don't Care Whether a Product is a National Brand or Private Label. They Just Buy What They Need21.8.2026 13:00:00 EEST | Press release
As fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) prices rose 26% globally between 2021 and 2025, consumers have become more deliberate about where they save and where they spend. NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) has released new findings showing that private label is no longer viewed simply as a lower-cost substitute, but as a credible competitor across value, mainstream, and premium segments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260819950224/en/ Private label is no longer just a value play. The findings, published in NIQ’s latest report, A Tale of Two Consumers: The Polarized Mindsets Reshaping Global Consumption, created in collaboration with World Data Lab, show how consumer polarization is redefining value and reshaping competition on the shelf. The report also draws on insights from NIQ's 2025reportFinding Harmony on the Shelfwhich documented changing perceptions of private label products. Key findings from these reports include: 58
Tanium Reappoints Co-Founder Orion Hindawi as CEO to Drive Next Chapter of Growth20.8.2026 22:10:00 EEST | Press release
Tanium, a leader in Autonomous IT, today announced that Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Orion Hindawi has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Dan Streetman is stepping down as CEO and as a member of the Board after leading Tanium for the last three years, during which time Tanium scaled its go-to-market operations and secured strong industry analyst recognition for innovation within the Tanium platform. Streetman will continue to advise Tanium as part of the transition and co-founder David Hindawi will return to the role of Chairman of the Board. With this foundation in place, this transition positions Tanium to deepen its Autonomous IT capabilities and further expand AI offerings across its portfolio and strengthen customer and partner engagement. The Hindawis co-founded Tanium in 2007 to build the central nervous system of enterprise security, giving organizations unified visibility and control over their endpoints. During his prior tenure as CEO from 201
PCI Energy Solutions to Join Mitsubishi Electric, Reinforcing Long-Term Commitment to Customers, Employees, and the Energy Industry20.8.2026 20:46:00 EEST | Press release
PCI Energy Solutions ("PCI"), a leading U.S.-based provider of enterprise software for energy management and optimization, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. The agreement was executed on August 20, 2026 (Japan Standard Time). The Transaction represents a strong endorsement of PCI's business, technology, employees, customer relationships and position in the energy industry. Mitsubishi Electric intends to retain PCI's core management team following completion of the Transaction, enabling PCI to preserve leadership continuity, industry expertise and its customer-focused operating model while benefiting from Mitsubishi Electric's global scale, complementary capabilities and long-term investment capacity. The agreement has been signed, but the Transaction has not yet closed. PCI and Mitsubishi Electric will continue to operate as separate companies until closing, which is subject to applicable regulatory approv
Perma-Pipe Secures More Than $67 Million in New Orders in the Second Quarter of 202620.8.2026 20:02:00 EEST | Press release
Perma-Pipe International Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPIH), a global leader in engineered piping and corrosion protection solutions, today announced that the Company secured more than $67 million in new orders during the second quarter of fiscal 2026, representing strong demand across its strategically important end-markets and geographies. The orders further strengthen Perma-Pipe's backlog and provide increased visibility into future revenue growth. The Company's backlog remains well diversified across geographies, customers and end-markets. The Company continued to see strong demand across its core Oil & Gas and infrastructure markets, while also securing important new business in emerging applications, including advanced leak detection and monitoring solutions. During the quarter, Perma-Pipe secured sizable Oil & Gas awards in both MENA and Canada, reinforcing the Company's position as a trusted supplier to customers undertaking significant energy infrastructure investments. The Company
Impartner Launches the First CPQ Built for Partners20.8.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Impartner, the leading partner revenue orchestration platform, today announced the launch ofImpartner CPQ, giving partners a direct path to create and advance quotes within the Impartner PRM platform. The new capability enables faster movement from opportunity to submission while giving vendors control over the rules, products, pricing, and approvals that govern each transaction. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260820479441/en/ Give partners a faster path from opportunity to quote with Impartner's CPQ. For many partnership programs, quoting remains a largely manual process. Partners often depend on vendor sales teams to prepare quotes because traditional CPQ systems are designed primarily for direct sellers or require additional licensing for external users. The result is a slower path from opportunity to revenue, increased administrative work for channel teams, and a partner experience that can limit the impa
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom