Medison Pharma Announces Public Formulary Listing of QINLOCK® (ripretinib) in Canadian Provinces: Ontario and Quebec for Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) Treatment

This marks a significant step forward in the multi-regional partnership between Deciphera and Medison

ZUG, Switzerland and TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2023 /CNW/ -- Today, Medison Pharma ("Medison"), a global pharma company focused on providing access to highly innovative therapies to patients in international markets, is pleased to announce the public formulary listing of QINLOCK® in Canadian provinces: Ontario and Quebec. These provinces join Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program, further broadening the public formulary coverage for adult patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who have previously been treated with imatinib, sunitinib, and regorafenib.

QINLOCK was developed by Deciphera Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: DCPH), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing important new medicines to improve the lives of people with cancer.

With the recent expansion of QINLOCK's listing, Medison, having entered into a multi-regional partnership with Deciphera in November 2020, remains committed to accelerating access for fourth-line GIST patients in an increasing number of provinces across Canada.

"Our profound commitment to the patients and communities we serve drives our ongoing efforts to broaden access to QINLOCK. Now covered in five pivotal provinces and the NIHB, we are dedicated to ensuring that every advanced GIST patient in the remaining provinces in Canada will have access to this treatment," remarks Pamela Minden, Country Manager at Medison Pharma in Canada.

"Advanced GIST is a very rare and complex disease," said Dr. Albiruni Razak, Medical Oncologist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Mount Sinai Hospital. "Following its availability in late 2020, QINLOCK has offered patients with 4L GIST new hope.  The addition of provincial formulary coverage for this important product is a welcome advancement."

GIST is a cancer that occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly in the stomach or small intestine. Soft tissue cancers such as GIST are very rare and comprise about one per cent of all cancers.^[i]

About QINLOCK (ripretinib)^[ii]

QINLOCK is a switch-control tyrosine kinase inhibitor that was engineered to broadly inhibit KIT and PDGFRA mutated kinases by using a dual mechanism of action that regulates the kinase switch pocket and activation loop. QINLOCK inhibits primary and secondary KIT mutations in exons 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, and 18 involved in GIST, as well as the primary exon 17 D816V mutation. QINLOCK also inhibits primary PDGFRA mutations in exons 12, 14, and 18, including the exon 18 D842V mutation, involved in a subset of GIST.

QINLOCK is approved by Health Canada and indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who have received prior treatment with imatinib, sunitinib, and regorafenib.

QINLOCK was developed by Deciphera Pharmaceuticals (NASAQ: DCPH). Following its Health Canada approval in June 2020, Deciphera entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Medison in November 2020 to commercialize the product in Canada and Israel for the treatment of fourth-line GIST.

Consult the complete QINLOCK Product Monograph for further information on contraindications, warnings, precautions, adverse reactions, and dosage and administration. The Product Monograph can be found by visiting https://pdf.hres.ca/dpd_pm/00065750.PDF or by calling 1-800-696-1341.

About Deciphera Pharmaceuticals

Deciphera is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing important new medicines to improve the lives of people with cancer. Deciphera is leveraging its proprietary switch-control kinase inhibitor platform and deep expertise in kinase biology to develop a broad portfolio of innovative medicines. In addition to advancing multiple product candidates from our platform in clinical studies, QINLOCK® is Deciphera's switch-control inhibitor for the treatment of fourth-line GIST. QINLOCK is approved in Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, Hong Kong, Israel, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For more information, visit www.deciphera.com.  

About Medison Pharma

Medison is a global pharma company focused on providing access to highly innovative therapies to patients in international markets. Medison is the first to create an international commercialization platform for highly innovative therapies, helping to save and improve lives by making the best available novel treatments accessible to patients in international markets. Medison has a track record of multi-territorial partnerships with leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking to expand their global reach. Medison is also an active investor in disruptive healthcare technologies and provides its partners with exposure to innovation in biotech and digital health. To learn more visit www.medisonpharma.com

For additional information, please contact:

Medison Pharma                                                                              
Inbal Chen, Corporate Communications                                         
M: [phone]                                                                       
E: [email protected]                                                      

Canadian media inquiries:
Dara Willis, Gage Communications
M: 416-836-9272
E: [email protected]

^[i] GIST Sarcoma Life Raft Group Canada (LRG Canada). https://liferaftgroup.ca/about-gist/. Accessed September 27, 2023.
^[ii] QINLOCK Product Monograph. https://pdf.hres.ca/dpd_pm/00065750.PDF

SOURCE Medison Pharma