Hikma signs exclusive licensing agreement with pharma& to bring innovative oncology treatment to MENA
London, 9 April 2025 – Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (Hikma), the multinational pharmaceutical company, has announced an exclusive licensing agreement with pharmaand GmbH (pharma&), a global pharmaceutical company based in Vienna, Austria.
This agreement grants Hikma exclusive rights to commercialise rucaparib across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Rucaparib, marketed as Rubraca®, is an innovative small-molecule oral therapy designed to inhibit poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs), a family of proteins critical to DNA repair in cancer cells. This mechanism makes rucaparib an important treatment option for patients battling ovarian cancer, the 8th most common cancer in women globally1, and prostate cancer, the 4th most common cancer worldwide and the second most common cancer in men2.
Rucaparib has received regulatory approval from both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA).
Mazen Darwazah, Hikma’s Executive Vice Chairman and President of MENA, said: “We are pleased to add rucaparib, an innovative oncology treatment, to our growing oncology portfolio in MENA. This agreement is a major step to further enhance patients’ access to life-changing treatments and address critical medical needs across the region. By strengthening our oncology portfolio, we reaffirm our commitment to providing advanced cancer treatments and supporting our purpose of putting better health within reach, every day.”
As the company’s first innovative small-molecule oral therapy in oncology approved by both the U.S. FDA and EMA, this partnership strengthens Hikma’s promise of providing better access to life saving treatment options and its commitment to improving patient outcomes.
1 Ovarian cancer statistics | World Cancer Research Fund