Lupin Limited (BSE: 500257, NSE: LUPIN) has transferred two clinical-stage oncology assets into newly formed US company Kaveri Therapeutics, exchanging ownership of the programs for an equity stake rather than the upfront payments, milestones, and royalties typical of a licensing agreement.
The transaction grants Kaveri exclusive global rights to LNP7457, a PRMT5 inhibitor, and LNP8701, a SOS1 inhibitor. Lupin Inc., the company's US subsidiary, will retain a significant equity interest in Kaveri and provide seed funding, while Kaveri assumes responsibility for advancing both assets through global clinical development. Financial terms were not disclosed.
LNP7457 targets protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), an enzyme involved in RNA splicing, DNA repair, and transcriptional regulation that has emerged as a therapeutic target in MTAP-deleted cancers. LNP8701 inhibits SOS1, a key activator of RAS signaling, with the aim of suppressing oncogenic KRAS pathway activity. Lupin presented Phase I dose-escalation data for both programs at the 2025 and 2026 ASCO annual meetings, showing LNP7457 established a maximum tolerated dose of 2 mg, demonstrated target engagement through reductions in plasma SDMA levels, and produced stable disease in eight patients, while LNP8701 demonstrated stable disease in five patients and one confirmed partial response during the Phase I dose-escalation study.
Kaveri Therapeutics will be led by Chief Executive Officer Kristi Jones and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Pierce and plans to raise additional financing to support global clinical development. The company said its pipeline is focused on biomarker-driven therapies for solid tumors, including lung, pancreatic, ovarian, and CNS-related cancers.