Lisata Therapeutics Announces Mutual Termination of License Agreement with Qilu Pharmaceutical for Certepetide
Lisata regains full development rights to certepetide in the Greater China Region
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lisata Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: LSTA) (“Lisata” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for the treatment of advanced solid tumors and other serious diseases, today announced that it has mutually terminated the February 2021 Exclusive License and Collaboration Agreement with Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Qilu”). The original agreement, negotiated and implemented with CEND Therapeutics and assumed by Lisata as part of its acquisition of CEND Therapeutics in 2022, granted Qilu exclusive rights to develop and commercialize certepetide, Lisata's proprietary iRGD cyclic peptide product candidate, in the Greater China region including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. This action results in all licenses and other rights granted to Qilu reverting to Lisata.
“We appreciate the collaboration and the work performed by Qilu with certepetide over the past few years. As a result of this mutual termination, Lisata regains the full, exclusive rights to certepetide in the Greater China region,” stated David J. Mazzo, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lisata Therapeutics.
Notwithstanding, Qilu maintains its obligations, regulatorily or otherwise, to complete and wind down their ongoing Phase 2 clinical study (NCT06261359) evaluating certepetide in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Lisata has agreed to negotiate with Qilu the potential licensing of relevant study data from this trial, as appropriate.
About Certepetide
Certepetide (formerly LSTA1), an internalizing RGD (arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid or iRGD), cyclic peptide product candidate, is an investigational drug designed to activate a novel uptake pathway that allows co-administered or tethered anti-cancer drugs to target and penetrate solid tumors more effectively. Certepetide actuates this active transport system in a tumor-specific manner, resulting in systemically co-administered anti-cancer drugs more efficiently penetrating and accumulating in the tumor. Certepetide also has been shown to modify the tumor microenvironment resulting in tumors which are more susceptible to immunotherapies. Lisata and its collaborators have amassed significant clinical and non-clinical data demonstrating enhanced efficacy and acceptable safety of various existing and emerging anti-cancer therapies, including chemotherapies, immunotherapies, RNA-based therapeutics, and Antibody-Drug Conjugates in solid tumor models. To date, certepetide has also demonstrated favorable safety, tolerability, and clinical activity in completed and ongoing clinical trials designed to test its ability to enhance the effectiveness of standard-of-care chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer. Lisata is exploring the potential of certepetide to enable a variety of treatment modalities to treat a range of solid tumors more effectively. Certepetide has been awarded Fast Track designation (U.S.) and Orphan Drug Designation for pancreatic cancer (U.S. and E.U.) as well as Orphan Drug Designation for glioma (U.S.) and osteosarcoma (U.S.). Additionally, certepetide has received Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for osteosarcoma (U.S.).
About Lisata Therapeutics
Lisata Therapeutics is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of advanced solid tumors and other major diseases. Lisata’s cyclic peptide product candidate, certepetide, is an investigational drug designed to activate a novel uptake pathway that allows co-administered or tethered anti-cancer drugs to selectively target and penetrate solid tumors more effectively. Lisata has already established noteworthy commercial and R&D partnerships based on its CendR Platform® technology. The Company expects to announce numerous milestones over the next 1.5 years and believes that its projected capital will fund operations into the first quarter of 2027, encompassing anticipated data milestones from its ongoing clinical trials. For a comprehensive overview of certepetide's mechanism of action, please view our informative short film. For more information on the Company, please visit www.lisata.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains “forward-looking statements” that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this communication regarding the Company’s clinical development programs are forward-looking statements. In addition, when or if used in this communication, the words “may,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict” and similar expressions and their variants, as they relate to Lisata or its management, may identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the potential efficacy of certepetide as a treatment for patients with solid tumors; our beliefs about the potential uses and benefits of certepetide; our ability to secure a partner for the worldwide rights to certepetide or for rights in the Greater China region; the expected expiration of our patents for certepetide; our ability to obtain patent term extension on our U.S. composition of matter patent; statements relating to Lisata’s continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market; expectations regarding the capitalization, resources and ownership structure of Lisata; the approach Lisata is taking to discover and develop novel therapeutics; the adequacy of Lisata’s capital to support its future operations and its ability to successfully initiate and complete clinical trials; and the difficulty in predicting the time and cost of development of Lisata’s product candidates. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: results observed from preliminary data are not necessarily indicative of final results and one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change following more comprehensive reviews of the data and as more patient data becomes available, including the risk that unconfirmed responses may not ultimately result in confirmed responses to treatment after follow-up evaluations; the risk that product candidates that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in larger-scale or later clinical trials; the safety and efficacy of Lisata’s product candidates, decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof, the duration and impact of regulatory delays in Lisata’s clinical programs, Lisata’s ability to finance its operations, the likelihood and timing of the receipt of future milestone and licensing fees, the future success of Lisata’s scientific studies, Lisata’s ability to successfully develop and commercialize drug candidates, the timing for starting and completing clinical trials, rapid technological change in Lisata’s markets, the ability of Lisata to protect its intellectual property rights; and legislative, regulatory, political and economic developments. The foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including the risk factors included in Lisata’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2025, and in other documents filed by Lisata with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by applicable law, Lisata undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Contact:
Media and Investors:
Lisata Therapeutics
John Menditto
Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
Phone: 908-842-0084
Email: jmenditto@lisata.com
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