Today, KORTUC INC. (KORTUC) announced that Alfresa Holdings Corporation and Shikoku Alfresa Corporation (Alfresa Group), a leading medical drug wholesaler in Japan, have made a strategic investment in KORTUC.
KORTUC is developing a novel cancer radiosensitizer which targets hypoxia in tumors and thereby overcoming the resistance of many tumors to radiotherapy. Funding from Alfresa Group will accelerate KORTUC’s pivotal study*1 for breast cancer undergoing in the UK and India, as well as support upcoming studies focused on rectal and cervical cancers.
KORTUC has granted Alfresa Group exclusive negotiation rights for the distribution and sale of KORTUC’s radiosensitizer in Japan. KORTUC and Alfresa Group will collaborate closely to build a robust distribution network, ensuring patients across Japan have access to this groundbreaking solution.
Comments from KORTUC
“We are thrilled to partner with Alfresa Group, a leader in Japan’s healthcare industry.” said Kazu Matsuda, Chief Executive Officer of KORTUC INC. “This collaboration will accelerate the development of KORTUC demonstrating its potential to enhance radiotherapy outcomes and transform cancer care.”
About KORTUC
KORTUC is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company formed to bring technology invented by Dr. Yasuhiro Ogawa, Emeritus Professor of Kochi University, to global practical use. The company is originally founded in Japan in 2015, is now headquartered in Palo Alto. KORTUC’s pivotal Phase II study focusing on locally advanced, recurrent breast cancer is ongoing in the UK and India in collaboration with the Royal Marsden Hospital and several other cancer centers. The company is also preparing to initiate new trials for rectal and cervical cancers, with the long-term goal of expanding its application to a wide range of solid tumors.
For further information, please contact:
KORTUC INC.
Email: info@kortuc.com
*1 Pivotal study: a clinical trial to demonstrate and confirm the safety and efficacy of a treatment. Pivotal studies are required as evidence so that the drug can obtain marketing approval by regulatory authorities.