AriBio has successfully signed a technology licensing deal worth up to KRW 820 billion (approx. USD 600 million) with a pharmaceutical company based in the Middle East.
On June 10, AriBio announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Arssera, a life sciences company headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for the oral Alzheimer’s drug candidate AR1001.
Under the terms of the agreement, Arssera will hold exclusive rights to develop, launch, and commercialize AR1001 in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, Ukraine, and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries. AriBio will retain responsibility for global production and supply.
Arssera is a pharmaceutical firm established by the UAE sovereign wealth fund ADQ and supplies a portfolio of over 2,000 drugs across more than 90 countries worldwide.
AR1001 is an oral therapeutic agent in the PDE-5 (phosphodiesterase-5) inhibitor class, which acts by inhibiting enzymes that interfere with blood vessel relaxation. According to AriBio, the drug treats Alzheimer’s disease via multiple mechanisms, including neuroprotection, stimulation of neuronal generation, clearance and inhibition of toxic protein accumulation, and improved cerebral blood flow—all with a once-daily tablet. Originally developed by SK Chemicals, AR1001 has been under AriBio’s leadership since 2011.
AriBio is currently conducting Phase 3 clinical trials for AR1001 in 13 countries, with key results expected in the first half of 2026.
With this latest deal, AriBio says the cumulative value of its global exclusive licensing agreements for AR1001 has reached KRW 1.94 trillion. Previously, the company signed agreements worth KRW 100 billion with Korea’s Samjin Pharmaceutical in 2023 and KRW 1.02 trillion with a Chinese pharmaceutical company in 2024.
Jaejoon Jung, CEO of AriBio, stated, “This deal marks a key inflection point. We will continue to secure exclusive licensing agreements with global partners currently in negotiations.”
Isabel Afonso, CEO of Arssera, commented, “This agreement aligns with our strategy to expand our neuroscience pipeline. We look forward to bringing AR1001 to patients around the world as quickly as possible.”
