SillaJen starts US trial of anti-cancer drug from Basilea

SillaJen Inc. said on Monday it has enrolled the first patient in a US phase 1 trial of an anti-cancer drug BAL0891 licensed from Swiss drugmaker Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd.

The South Korean biotechnology company acquired the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the drug, a mitotic checkpoint inhibitor (MCI), in September last year.

In phase 1, SillaJen plans to evaluate the safety and optimal dose of BAL0891 by intravenously administering it to patients with metastatic solid tumors. It also plans to start a trial of combining the drug with paclitaxel, an existing anti-cancer agent.

SillaJen said it would conduct the same trial in Korea as well.

A SillaJen official said the company aims to boost its technology exports based on the research data from the US phase 1 trial.

Write to Yoorim Kim at youforest@hankyung.com