Newron Pharmaceuticals - Evenamide licence agreement in Japan

Newron has entered into a licence agreement with EA Pharma, a subsidiary of Eisai, to develop, manufacture and commercialise evenamide, Newron’s proprietary modulator of the excessive release of glutamate for the treatment of schizophrenia. The transaction covers Japan and other designated Asian territories, meeting management’s target of securing a deal in Q424. Newron will receive an upfront payment of €44m, up to €73m in contributions to development and milestones, and will be eligible to tiered royalties up to a double-digit percentage of net sales for evenamide in the covered regions. We expect the upfront payment to extend Newron’s operating cash runway, enabling it to maintain operations through 2026 at a minimum (versus through H125 previously). We place our estimates under review as we update our model to reflect the terms of the announcement.