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UroGen takes first step beyond urothelial cancer with IntraGel deal

Edited by Robert McTiernan··2 min read
UroGen takes first step beyond urothelial cancer with IntraGel deal

UroGen Pharma (Nasdaq: URGN) has signed a collaboration and equity investment agreement with Israel-based IntraGel Therapeutics, committing up to USD 7 million in equity to support a Phase II trial of TumoCure in locally advanced, inoperable head and neck cancer. The deal gives UroGen its first disclosed opportunity to extend its sustained-release drug delivery strategy beyond urothelial cancer.

TumoCure combines cisplatin with IntraGel's SRGel platform, a biodegradable polymer matrix designed to provide sustained intratumoral drug release while limiting systemic exposure. Phase Ib data presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting showed low systemic cisplatin exposure and early signs of antitumor activity in eight heavily pretreated patients, including patients with cisplatin-resistant disease. The small dataset remains preliminary, with the planned Phase II study intended to provide a more substantive test of the approach.

Under the Option and Research License Agreement, UroGen receives a research license to SRGel and an exclusive option to acquire worldwide rights to TumoCure after completion of the Phase II trial. UroGen also secured options to license up to three additional oncology products combining SRGel with compounds selected by UroGen. The company's initial financial commitment consists of the equity investment, with option exercise fees, milestones, and royalty terms not disclosed.

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The collaboration extends a drug-delivery strategy already central to UroGen's business. Its approved Jelmyto and Zusduri products use the company's RTGel technology to prolong local exposure to mitomycin in urothelial cancers. IntraGel's SRGel similarly seeks to convert established drugs into sustained-release local therapies but uses a biodegradable, fatty-acid-based matrix and is being evaluated in other solid tumors. TumoCure therefore gives UroGen an opportunity to test whether the commercial model established with RTGel can translate beyond the urinary tract.

The structure limits UroGen's initial exposure while allowing it to evaluate Phase II data before committing to a full license. IntraGel retains responsibility for TumoCure's development until the option is exercised, as well as rights to non-oncology applications of SRGel.

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