[비즈한국] Biohaven, an Irish biotech company, is gaining attention as SK Biopharmaceuticals introduces a potential epilepsy drug candidate from the firm in a deal worth up to 1.1 trillion won. Previously, Biohaven licensed an ADC (Antibody-Drug Conjugate) candidate from AimedBio, a company backed by the Samsung Life Science Fund, and is currently conducting global Phase 1 clinical trials. What is the competitive edge of Biohaven, which is expanding its reach from epilepsy and CNS (Central Nervous System) disorders to the ADC field?
400 Million Dollars in Upfront Payments Alone… SK Biopharmaceuticals’ 'Post-Cenobamate' Gamble
SK Biopharmaceuticals announced on the 26th that it has signed a global exclusive licensing agreement with Biohaven Biosciences Ireland for the epilepsy drug candidate 'Opakalim (BHV-7000),' other Kv7 potassium channel activator compounds, and a Kv7 drug discovery platform.
The total value of the deal is up to 795 million dollars (1.1 trillion won). Of this, the upfront payment is 400 million dollars (approximately 553.2 billion won), accounting for about 50.3% of the total contract value. The payment structure consists of 350 million dollars upon closing, with an additional 50 million dollars to be paid one year later. The remaining 395 million dollars consists of milestones related to development, regulatory approval, and commercialization.
A notable aspect here is the development stage of the candidate. Opakalim is an epilepsy treatment candidate that activates Kv7 potassium channels, which regulate neuronal excitability. Phase 2/3 clinical trials are currently underway for focal seizures, and topline clinical results are expected to be announced in the second half of this year.
For SK Biopharmaceuticals, this deal is highly significant as it secures a follow-up growth engine after 'Cenobamate' (U.S. product name: Xcopri), an innovative self-developed epilepsy drug. Specifically, by securing a late-stage clinical candidate, the company can reduce the time to commercialization compared to developing it from the early stages and leverage the direct sales and distribution infrastructure it has already established in the U.S.
Moreover, this deal goes beyond simply securing one late-stage clinical candidate. SK Biopharmaceuticals has also acquired a drug discovery platform capable of identifying additional Kv7-series candidates. This is seen as establishing a technical foundation for creating a future pipeline while simultaneously introducing a single product.
Success Experience with 'Nurtec,' a Migraine Treatment Surpassing 1.4 Billion Dollars in Annual Sales
The background to the domestic pharmaceutical and biotech industry's interest in Biohaven lies in its proven track record of drug development and commercialization.
A representative success story illustrating Biohaven's competitiveness is the CGRP-family migraine treatment 'Nurtec.' Based on Nurtec's growth potential as an acute and preventive migraine treatment, Biohaven attracted the attention of global big pharma, and in 2022, sold its CGRP business to Pfizer for approximately 11.6 billion dollars (16.1 trillion won) in cash. It is interpreted that Pfizer highly valued the commercial potential of the CGRP-family pipeline, including Nurtec, at the time.
Nurtec's growth continued even after its acquisition by Pfizer. Sold as 'Nurtec' in the U.S. and 'Vydura' in Europe and elsewhere, it recorded 1.424 billion dollars (approximately 1.97 trillion won) in global sales in 2025.
Currently, Biohaven is expanding its research areas into rare diseases and oncology, centered on the CNS field, including epilepsy.
Beyond CNS to ADC… Connection with Samsung-backed AimedBio
Biohaven's business expansion is not limited to the CNS field. Recently, it has been aggressively expanding its pipeline in the ADC field, which is considered a next-generation oncology platform.
In this area, there is a domestic company connected to Biohaven that preceded SK Biopharmaceuticals: the ADC developer AimedBio. In December 2024, AimedBio licensed out the global development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights for its ADC candidate 'AMB302' to Biohaven. The specific contract size and upfront payment remain undisclosed. Biohaven is currently conducting Phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S.
A connection to Samsung also appears here. AimedBio received investment from the Samsung Life Science Fund and has established a cooperative relationship with Samsung Biologics in the ADC sector. With the candidate developed by AimedBio moving to Biohaven and entering global clinical trials, a point of contact has effectively formed between a company invested in by Samsung and Biohaven.