Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

VEPPANU is the first and only FDA-approved PROTAC and has the potential to become an important new treatment option for adult patients with 2L+ ER+/HER2-, ESR1-mutated mBC Aug. 11, 2026 -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL), a commercial stage biotechnology company focused on hematologic disorders and cancer, today announced VEPPANU (vepdegestrant) is now available by prescription in the United States for the treatment of adults with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1)-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer (mBC), as detected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized test, with disease progression following at least one line of endocrine therapy. "The commercial launch of VEPPANU marks an important milestone for Rigel and, more importantly, for patients living with ER+/HER2-, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer. In a pivotal trial, VEPPANU was generally well tolerated and demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival versus fulvestrant in this patient population. As the first and only FDA-approved PROTAC, VEPPANU introduces a novel mechanism of action and represents an important new treatment option for healthcare providers to consider with their patients," said Raul Rodriguez, Rigel's president and CEO. "Supported by our established oncology infrastructure, experienced commercial and medical affairs teams and comprehensive patient support programs, we are well positioned to execute a successful commercial launch of VEPPANU, allowing Rigel to deliver for patients while advancing our long-term growth strategy." VEPPANU is the first and only FDA-approved PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera (PROTAC). PROTACs are a new class of heterobifunctional protein degraders designed to harness the body's natural machinery to selectively degrade, rather than inhibit, disease-causing proteins. The recommended dosage of VEPPANU is 200 mg taken orally once daily. VEPPANU is immediately available through Rigel's network of specialty distributors and specialty pharmacies in the United States and Puerto Rico at $29,400 per 30-day supply. For those who qualify, Rigel offers patient assistance programs for patients prescribed VEPPANU by their doctor. RIGEL ONECARE®, the company's comprehensive patient support center, can help patients and physicians as they navigate insurance coverage requirements and provide financial assistance when needed and if eligible, along with other support programs. In May 2026, Rigel announced it entered into an exclusive, global license agreement with Arvinas, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. to develop, manufacture and commercialize VEPPANU. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers.1 The estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER+/HER2-) patient population represents the majority (70%) of breast cancer, where treatment with endocrine therapies (aromatase inhibitors) is the standard of care. While endocrine therapy remains a cornerstone of metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer treatment, up to 50% of patients treated with endocrine therapy and a CDK4/6 inhibitor acquire estrogen receptor 1 gene (ESR1) mutations, resulting in endocrine resistance and poor prognosis. Treatment options in second-line and later ER+/HER2-, ESR1-mutated advanced or metastatic breast cancer setting include chemotherapy, selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs), and as of May 2026, vepdegestrant, the first and only FDA-approved oral PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera (PROTAC). Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) is a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering, developing and providing novel therapies that significantly improve the lives of patients with hematologic disorders and cancer. Founded in 1996, Rigel is based in South San Francisco, California. The content above comes from the network. if any infringement, please contact us to modify.

Today, a brief rundown of news involving Capricor Therapeutics and Cytokinetics, as well as updates from Valneva, InduPro, Zealand Pharma and Rigel Pharmaceuticals that you may have missed.Capricor Therapeutics shares surged more than 60% on Friday after CEO Linda Marbn told analysts that the Food and Drug Administration appears open to reviewing an updated submission for its Duchenne muscular dystrophy cell therapy. An FDA panel last month voted against that therapy, deramiocel, in Duchenne-related cardiomyopathy, but expressed more support for the drugs impact on upper limb function. On an earnings call Thursday, Marbn said that, following discussions with regulators, the company intends to amend its application with new follow-up data that can support a refined indication. The agency is willing to review this amendment and extend the evaluation of deramiocel, Marbn said. It currently has an Aug. 22 decision deadline. Ben FidlerCytokinetics is escalating a turf war with Bristol Myers Squibb, announcing Thursday its suing the pharmaceutical giant to defend patents covering its newly launched heart drug Myqorzo. In court papers, Cytokinetics alleged Bristol Myers surprisingly got a particular patent covering certain methods of treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, including by using the active ingredient in Myqorzo, despite having zero involvement in its discovery or development. Cytokinetics claimed the move was an attempt to burden [it] with litigation and slow sales of Myqorzo, which competes with Bristol Myers Camzyos for market share. The company wants the court to declare Myqorzo doesnt infringe on that patent and to block Bristol Myers from threatening or launching related litigation. Ben FidlerShares of Valneva climbed about 20% on Friday after European drug regulators accepted an application for a Lyme disease vaccine its been developing with Pfizer. With the validation of that submission, the European Medicines Agency will begin reviewing Pfizer and Valnevas shot, PF-07307405. The partners have been planning to pursue global approvals despite mixed results they blamed on fewer-than-expected Lyme disease cases during the evaluation period of their key clinical trial. Stifel analyst Damien Choplain called EMAs endorsement a significant de-risking event for Valneva, with attention now turning to the vaccines approval prospects in the U.S. Ben FidlerBiotech startup InduPro said Wednesday it banked $77 million in a Series B round that would help the young company advance its portfolio of cancer and autoimmune drugs. InduPro recently took its lead program, a bispecific antibody drug-conjugate codenamed IDP-001, into early human testing in patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors. The startup, which is headquartered in Seattle and Cambridge, Massachusetts, was backed by The Column Group, as well as Vida Ventures, Mercks corporate venture arm, Sanofi, Eli Lilly and others. Gwendolyn WuZealand Pharma is selling the rights it owns to a drug for a rare blood disorder to Royalty Pharma for $100 million. The deal announced Wednesday hands Royalty the economic interests and sales royalties Zealand holds in rusfertide, a polycythemia vera drug the Food and Drug Administration could approve in the third quarter. Zealand first obtained those rights through a 2012, peptide-focused research collaboration with Protagonist Therapeutics, which went on to develop rusfertide and partnered with Takeda Pharmaceutical in 2024. Zealand will keep a 0.25% royalty on global yearly rusfertide sales topping $1.5 billion, with Royalty getting 0.75% of sales exceeding that total. Delilah AlvaradoRigel Pharmaceuticals said its protein-degrading breast cancer drug Veppanu is now available for prescription in the U.S. Rigel acquired rights from Arvinas and Pfizer, which had initially aimed to develop the drug for a broad group of breast cancer patients before finding the treatment to be most beneficial in a subset of patients with a mutation to the ESR1 gene. The partners decided to offload the treatment afterwards, and cut a deal with Rigel following regulatory approval in May. Rigel priced a 30-day supply at $29,400. Delilah Alvarado '

New 2026 Biopharma Licensing Data Shows Double-Digit Royalties More Common for Late-Stage Assets New Current Partnering analysis highlights the relationship between development stage and royalty economics in pharmaceutical and biotechnology licensing agreements (LONDON, UK - August 12, 2026) - New analysis of pharmaceutical and biotechnology licensing agreements announced during the first seven months of 2026 shows a marked difference in royalty structures as assets advance through development. Current Partnering found that 80% of the reviewed licensing agreements involving Phase III, regulatory-stage or marketed assets provided for royalty rates that could reach double-digit percentages , compared with 50% of agreements involving discovery, preclinical or Phase I assets . The analysis, based on distinct 2026 licensing agreements with disclosed or described royalty structures, highlights the influence that development stage and risk can have on royalty economics. “This latest 2026 data reinforces how strongly development risk can influence royalty economics” said Claire Nicholson, CEO of Current Partnering. “As assets move closer to approval and commercialization, licensors are generally in a stronger position to retain a more meaningful share of future revenues. But royalty rates should never be viewed in isolation; the wider deal structure is critical when assessing whether a royalty rate is genuinely comparable,” added Nicholson. Several transactions announced during 2026 illustrate the range of royalties being negotiated for later-stage assets: · BioCryst Pharmaceuticals / Neopharmed Gentili - tiered royalties ranging from 18% to 30% on net sales for European rights to Phase III HAE candidate navenibart. · Arvinas / Pfizer / Rigel Pharmaceuticals - tiered royalties ranging from the mid-teens to mid-20s on global net sales of VEPPANU (vepdegestrant). · Curatis / Neupharma - royalties of up to 20% on future Japanese sales of Phase III-stage corticorelin. The wider 2026 data also demonstrates why headline royalty percentages cannot be considered in isolation. Development stage, geographic scope, retained rights, commercialization responsibilities, upfront consideration and milestone economics can all influence the royalty structure ultimately agreed between the parties. The analysis forms part of the August 2026 edition of Current Partnering's Royalty Rates in Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Licensing Deals 2015 to 2026 which examines royalty structures and financial terms across more than 1,600 publicly disclosed pharmaceutical and biotechnology licensing deals. About Current Partnering Current Partnering provides pharmaceutical and biotechnology dealmaking intelligence for business development, licensing and corporate strategy professionals. Its analyst-curated intelligence covers real-world licensing agreements, collaborations and other strategic transactions, including royalty provisions, financial terms, rights allocation and underlying agreement documents where available. Media Contacts Claire L. Nicholson – CEO, Current Partnering press@currentpartnering.com Darren K. Small – CBO, Current Partnering press@currentpartnering.com Contact: +447550079918