MALVERN, PA — Galera Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC: GRTX) announced it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Toronto-based Biossil Inc. for the sale of its dismutase mimetics portfolio, including avasopasem and rucosopasem. The transaction provides Galera with an immediate $3.5 million payment and the potential to earn up to $105 million through future regulatory and commercial milestones.
Under the agreement, Biossil will assume all obligations tied to Galera’s 2018 royalty arrangement with Blackstone Life Sciences, including a 4% royalty on sales if either drug achieves commercialization. The acquisition gives Biossil control of a drug class designed to mitigate radiation-induced tissue damage while preserving anti-cancer efficacy.
Galera’s lead program will now center on its pan-inhibitor of Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS), L-NMMA or tilarginine, licensed from Houston Methodist. The compound is being studied in a multicenter Phase 2 trial for metaplastic breast cancer in combination with alpelisib and nab-paclitaxel. After initial dose optimization at Houston Methodist, the study has expanded to include the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.
Avasopasem has demonstrated promising results in prior clinical trials. In a 407-patient Phase 3 study, the compound achieved a statistically significant 16% reduction in the incidence of severe oral mucositis and a 56% reduction in its duration among patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer. The findings, published in eClinicalMedicine (Volume 89, 2025), follow prior research suggesting a broader therapeutic potential for dismutase mimetics in oncology, including in pancreatic cancer when combined with stereotactic body radiotherapy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted avasopasem both Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations for the prevention of radiotherapy-induced oral mucositis.
“We are very pleased to enter into this agreement, which substantially increases the prospects for bringing avasopasem to patients with cancer,” said Mel Sorensen, M.D., President and CEO of Galera. “Biossil has the expertise and financing capable of advancing avasopasem through the remaining clinical and regulatory hurdles to make it available to patients.”
Dr. Alexander Mosa, Chief Scientific Officer and Chair of Biossil, described the acquisition as a strategic move to address the unmet need for treatments that reduce chemoradiotherapy toxicity. “Biossil will advance avasopasem with rigor commensurate with its clinical promise and the unmet need,” Mosa said.
The transaction marks a significant step in Galera’s ongoing restructuring, aligning its future around NOS inhibition research while allowing Biossil to carry forward its late-stage radiation protection assets.
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