On October 7, 2026, Asieris Pharmaceuticals and Theramex disclosed a conditional licensing agreement. Theramex receives exclusive commercialisation rights to CEVIRA® in Europe. The license also covers Australia and New Zealand; Turkey is included as well. Asieris retains rights elsewhere. The companies said the deal remains subject to conditions, including a supply agreement and manufacturing audits, as set out in Theramex’s deal announcement.
The headline value is not cash paid at signing. Asieris is due $15 million upfront, plus $11 million in near-term regulatory milestones. Further commercial milestones apply, alongside tiered royalties. The upfront payment itself depends on a supply agreement and successful audits of CEVIRA® manufacturing sites. The parties must also align on an upstream licensing agreement and clarify the device’s clinical value assessment with the European Commission.
The European Medicines Agency accepted CEVIRA’s marketing application for review in February 2026. Acceptance starts the regulatory assessment; it is not a marketing authorisation.
A device-based approach to cervical precancer
CEVIRA®, also known as APL-1702, is a photodynamic drug-device combination under development for HPV-related cervical precancerous lesions. A healthcare professional would administer it in an office-based setting. For appropriate women who might otherwise be considered for surgery, it may offer a local, non-surgical option.
The announcement reports no trial outcomes and does not establish how the treatment compares with surgery.
Asieris said the Chinese indication is for patients aged 18 and older with histologically confirmed CIN2. It excludes invasive cervical cancer and adenocarcinoma in situ, and does not cover every grade of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.
Rights and payments remain tied to conditions
The agreement gives Theramex a route to commercialise CEVIRA in the specified markets, but the upfront payment still depends on operational and regulatory clarifications. The structure resembles the milestone structure in a separate licensing deal. The assets and therapeutic fields differ.
Asieris assigns regional commercial rights to Theramex while retaining the rest of the world. For Theramex, CEVIRA adds a candidate in women’s health. Its intended treatment pathway aims to preserve cervical tissue.
In March 2026, China’s National Medical Products Administration issued CEVIRA a registration certificate. That authorisation is separate from the product’s regulatory status in the licensed territories.
