Biohaven and SK Biopharmaceuticals Enter into Strategic Global Licensing Agreement for Novel Kv7 Ion Channel Platform and Opakalim, Lead Candidate for Epilepsy
PR Newswire
NEW HAVEN, Conn. and SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 26, 2026
SK Biopharmaceuticals to provide upfront and milestone payments related to the Kv7 platform up to $795 million, along with tiered royalties to Biohaven ranging from the mid-teens to low twenties on U.S. net sales of opakalim.Opakalim, the lead candidate from Biohaven's Kv7 platform, is a next-generation, selective Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channel activator currently in Phase 2/3 development for focal epilepsy, with topline results from the RISE3 trial expected in 2H 2026. It is designed to offer an easy-to-use, once-daily oral treatment without the need for titration and a low incidence of burdensome CNS side effects.The agreement pairs Biohaven's innovative, wholly owned Kv7 platform with the proven epilepsy commercial platform of SK Biopharmaceuticals, the team that launched XCOPRI®. The deal gives opakalim an established path to patients worldwide through SK Biopharmaceuticals' commercial capabilities without Biohaven building its own capital-intensive infrastructure.The transaction delivers non-dilutive capital, while retaining meaningful long-term upside in opakalim through milestones and royalties, materially strengthening Biohaven's balance sheet and extending its runway to advance a differentiated pipeline. NEW HAVEN, Conn. and SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Biohaven Ltd. and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries ("Biohaven") (NYSE: BHVN) and SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. ("SK Biopharmaceuticals") today announced a strategic global licensing and collaboration agreement under which SK Biopharmaceuticals will obtain an exclusive worldwide license to Biohaven's Kv7 ion channel platform, led by opakalim (BHV-7000), a next-generation, selective Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channel activator in Phase 2/3 development for focal epilepsy, with RISE3 trial topline results expected in 2H 2026. Following the close of the transaction, the companies will collaborate to advance opakalim through development and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, combining Biohaven's innovative Kv7 platform with SK Biopharmaceuticals' global development and regulatory capabilities and its proven commercial track record of bringing antiseizure medicines to patients worldwide.
