Yuhan Corp. said on the 14th that it will receive a $30 million (about 44.76 billion won) milestone payment from Janssen Biotech tied to the European commercialization of Leclaza (lazertinib), a non-small cell lung cancer treatment it out-licensed. The milestone stems from the European commercial launch of Leclaza in combination with Janssen's amivantamab.
According to Yuhan, this payment brings Leclaza's cumulative milestones, including the upfront fee, to $300 million (about 447.54 billion won). The breakdown is as follows: $50 million upfront (November 2018), $35 million for combination therapy development progress (April 2020), $65 million for the start of Phase 3 combination dosing (November 2020), $60 million for the U.S. commercial launch (September 2024), $15 million for the Japanese commercial launch (May 2025), $45 million for the Chinese commercial launch (October 2025), and $30 million for the European commercial launch (May 2026).
The total milestones Yuhan is slated to receive, including the upfront payment, amount to $950 million, of which roughly one-third has been received. Yuhan, which has been collecting sales royalties since 2024 following prescriptions of the combination therapy, expects royalty income to grow further with the European commercialization.
Leclaza, which has now entered four continents — Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania — was listed in November last year as the preferred first-line therapy for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines.
