On March 9, 2026, Tenacia and Rapport Therapeutics announced an exclusive licensing agreement under which Tenacia obtained exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Rapport\u2019s RAP\u2011219 in Greater China, in a deal worth up to $328 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the terms of the agreement, Rapport will receive an upfront payment of $20 million, up to $308 million in potential development and commercial milestone payments, and tiered royalties ranging up to the mid\u2011teens percentage of annual net sales of RAP\u2011219 in Greater China. Tenacia will be responsible for the development and commercialization of RAP\u2011219 in Greater China, while Rapport retains rights in the rest of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RAP\u2011219 is a negative allosteric modulator of AMPA receptors targeting TARP\u03b38, designed to achieve brain\u2011region\u2011specific modulation for antiepileptic therapy through a more precise mechanism of action. TARP\u03b38 is predominantly expressed in key brain regions closely associated with epileptic seizures, such as the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, and is nearly absent in the cerebellum, which coordinates movement. This tissue specificity is expected to reduce common side effects of traditional AMPA receptor antagonists, such as dizziness and ataxia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In September 2025, Rapport announced Phase IIa clinical data for RAP\u2011219 in patients with focal onset seizures (FOS). The results showed that compared with baseline, patients experienced a significant reduction in long\u2011duration seizures, with a 77.8% median decrease in clinical seizure frequency (p=0.01), and 24% of patients became seizure\u2011free during the 8\u2011week treatment period (p<0.0001). RAP\u2011219 was generally well tolerated, with most adverse events being mild to moderate. Following the data release, Rapport\u2019s share price rose by 157%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RAP\u2011219 is currently being developed for focal onset seizures, primary generalized tonic\u2011clonic seizures, and the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Two global registrational Phase III trials are expected to start in the second quarter of 2026, and Tenacia will lead the China region\u2019s participation in these international multi\u2011center studies, accelerating the drug\u2019s development in Greater China.Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in China, with a prevalence of approximately 8.4\u2030, affecting nearly 10 million people. Among patients with focal onset seizures, about one\u2011third may develop drug\u2011resistant epilepsy, creating an urgent clinical need for innovative therapies. The in\u2011licensing of RAP\u2011219 represents another important step in Tenacia\u2019s strategic expansion in the central nervous system (CNS) field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On March 9, 2026, Tenacia and Rapport Therapeutics announced an exclusive licensing agreement under which Tenacia obtained exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Rapport\u2019s RAP\u2011219 in Greater China, in a deal worth up to $328 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Rapport will receive an upfront payment of $20 million, up to $308 million […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3366,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drug-development"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n