NS Pharma, Inc. (NS Pharma; Headquarters, Paramus, NJ; President, Yukiteru Sugiyama) announced that its parent company, Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd. (Nippon Shinyaku; Headquarters, Kyoto, Japan; President, Toru Nakai) has entered into an option agreement with Elixirgen Therapeutics, Inc. (Elixirgen; Headquarters, Baltimore, MD; CEO, Aki Ko) under which Nippon Shinyaku may obtain the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize EXG-7001 for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The agreement was facilitated by the NS Pharma Innovation Research Partnering (IRP) team, located in Cambridge, MA.

"Collaboration is essential in furthering scientific innovation, and we are proud to partner with Elixirgen to expand treatment options for the Duchenne community," said NS Pharma President Yukiteru Sugiyama. "This partnership represents our long-term commitment to supporting our community and the necessary scientific exploration needed to combat rare disease."

EXG-7001 is an investigational, locally administered, mRNA based therapeutic drug that expresses full-length human dystrophin protein. Regardless of genetic mutation, it is intended to suppress local muscle dysfunction by expressing the full-length dystrophin protein, which is deficient within the muscle cells of patients with DMD. EXG-7001 is in preclinical development for the treatment of DMD. Elixirgen is currently preparing for clinical trials in the United States. Following the exercise of the option rights by Nippon Shinyaku and regulatory approval in the United States, NS Pharma intends to commercialize EXG-7001.