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
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
Taylor Wessing Diversifies Its International Strategy17.12.2025 16:05:00 EET | Press release
International law firm Taylor Wessing is set to diversify its strategy within its international alliance, in order to push international growth and innovation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251217415857/en/ Dr. Oliver Bertram, Global Co-Chair at Taylor Wessing The English part of the partnership is seeking a merger with US law firm Winston & Strawn and would – depending on a corresponding partner decision, which is still pending – leave the Taylor Wessing alliance at the end of April 2026. Both parties wish to continue their successful joint international client work unchanged. Therefore, collaboration between Taylor Wessing and future Anglo-American firm Winston Taylor will continue seamlessly based on a cooperation agreement, ensuring that clients will not experience any change in their collaboration with Taylor Wessing. With the firm’s new open strategy, Taylor Wessing equally meets the strategic requirem
ISACA to Lead Global Credentialing for CMMC Cybersecurity Framework as International Cyber Readiness Standards Rise17.12.2025 16:00:00 EET | Press release
As cyber threats escalate and governments raise expectations around operational resilience, ISACA has been appointed to lead the global credentialing programme for the U.S. DoW’s Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. The appointment positions ISACA – the international association for cybersecurity, audit and digital trust – as the exclusive CMMC Assessor and Instructor Certification Organization (CAICO), responsible for training, examining and certifying professionals, assessors, and instructors across the CMMC ecosystem. Originally developed by the U.S. DoW to protect sensitive unclassified information within its global supply chain, CMMC is increasingly relevant to European defence, aerospace, engineering and high-technology companies participating in transatlantic programmes. As the framework is phased into U.S. procurement from 2025 to 2028, many European organisations that handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or Federal Contract Information (FCI),
ASN Bank Signs a Contract With HCLTech to Accelerate Digital Transformation and Enhance Customer Experience17.12.2025 15:43:00 EET | Press release
HCLTech, a leading global technology company, today announced that it has been selected as a strategic partner by ASN Bank (formerly de Volksbank), the fourth-largest retail bank in the Netherlands. As part of its new strategy ‘Simplify and Grow’, ASN Bank aims to modernise and standardise its IT architecture, which will involve consolidating IT services, simplifying the vendor landscape and building a future-ready organisation. Under the multi-year agreement, HCLTech will support ASN Bank’s enterprise applications, and streamline services through a distributed delivery model to enhance efficiency and customer experience. Michel Ruijterman, Chief Information Officer, ASN Bank: “By signing this agreement , HCLTech’s proven track record in delivering scalable, innovative solutions tailored to the financial services sector means we can now confidently press on with streamlining our business by reducing the number of existing products and aligning the underlying processes and systems under
Riskified Announces Ascend 2026: “Intelligence in Motion” for the Next Era of Ecommerce17.12.2025 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Riskified (NYSE:RSKD), the leader in AI fraud and risk management for ecommerce, has announced that its premier global summit Ascend will once again be held as a global event series in 2026. Kicking off with North America (May) and continuing to Europe (June), Australia (August), China (September), and Japan (October), Ascend will convene each region’s largest merchants, industry experts, and technology leaders to discover the latest AI advancements and innovative strategies to propel ecommerce success. “Having pioneered using AI to fight ecommerce fraud and policy abuse over the past 10+ years, it’s equally exhilarating as it is concerning to witness the dramatic impact AI and agentic commerce are making on our industry. As risk grows more complex and shopper expectations rise, fraud teams and customer experience leaders can’t afford to sit back: they have to rise up and design the future themselves,” said Jeff Otto, Chief Marketing Officer of Riskified. “Ascend 2026 will explore how
Sinovac: Antigua Court Makes Interim Order Giving Board Control of the Company until the Trial of the Disputed 2025 Shareholder Meeting17.12.2025 14:00:00 EET | Press release
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (NASDAQ: SVA) (SINOVAC or the Company), a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, today announced that the Antigua High Court has ordered that the directors Mr. Simon Anderson, Mr. Shan Fu, Mr. Shuge Jiao, Mr. Yuk Lam Lo, Mr. Yumin Qiu, Mr. Yu Wang, Mr. Andrew Y. Yan and Mr. Yin Weidong (collectively, the Board), will comprise the Board of the Company until the trial listed in late April/early May 2026. The Antigua High Court decision arises from a hearing that took place on 27 October 2025, at which applicants SAIF Partners IV L.P., OrbiMed Partners Master Fund Limited and 1Globe Capital LLC each sought injunctions to confirm the composition of their respective favoured Boards, pending determination of a dispute over the outcome of the Company’s Special Shareholders Meeting on 8 July 2025 (the SSM Dispute). The hearing of the SSM Dispute has been scheduled to take place in the Antigua High Court in late April/early May 2026, with judgment to be de
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