What Ellipses Pharma does

Ellipses Pharma Limited is a UK-based, privately-held clinical-stage oncology drug development company founded in 2015 by Sir Christopher Evans and headquartered in London. The company specialises in acquiring rights to promising oncology candidates through licensing agreements and advancing them through clinical development, primarily in regions outside Greater China. Its portfolio is anchored by EP0031 (lunbotinib fumarate, also designated A400), a next-generation selective RET inhibitor licensed from Sichuan Kelun-Biotech in March 2021, which has demonstrated confirmed objective response rates of 87.1% in pre-treated and 81.3% in treatment-naïve RET fusion-positive NSCLC patients, alongside a 92.5% disease control rate in patients with CNS metastases. A second asset, EP0089 (GENA-104), is a CNTN4-targeting immuno-oncology antibody-drug conjugate licensed from Genome & Company that has entered a multi-country Phase 1/2a trial.

The company's core technology focus is targeted oncology therapeutics, with particular emphasis on next-generation RET inhibition and first-in-class ADC approaches. EP0031 is currently being advanced through FDA-cleared Phase II trials in the US, UK, Europe and the UAE. Ellipses Pharma generates revenue through licensing and development agreements that may include upfront fees, milestone payments, and royalties upon successful commercialisation by its partners; no products are approved and no commercial revenue is disclosed.

Ellipses Pharma is backed by Sir Tom Hunter's West Coast Capital, with a stated $150 million already invested into the pipeline and an additional $100 million planned. The company operates a capital-intensive, partnership-driven model in which the value-creation thesis rests on advancing a small number of high-conviction oncology assets through late-stage clinical development and monetising them via partnerships, milestones, or future out-licensing or M&A.

Name

Ellipses Pharma

Legal name

Ellipses Pharma Limited

Website

https://ellipses.life

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ellipses Pharma is a UK-based, privately-held clinical-stage oncology drug developer that licenses promising cancer therapies from biotech partners and advances them through Phase I/II trials, anchored by the RET inhibitor EP0031 and the ADC candidate EP0089.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oncology Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Oncology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oncology & Hematology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAC), Specialty Care Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAB)

Keywords

• Oncology drug development
• Cancer therapeutics
• Targeted cancer therapy
• Antibody-drug conjugates
• Pharmaceutical licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Development Agreements: Ellipses Pharma generates revenue through licensing deals where it acquires rights to promising oncology drug candidates and advances them through clinical development in specific geographic regions (typically outside Greater China), with potential milestone payments and royalties upon successful commercialization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

Ellipses Pharma is a clinical-stage oncology drug development company that acquires rights to promising cancer drug candidates from biotech partners and advances them through clinical trials for global (ex-Greater China) commercialization. Its core offerings are two in-licensed oncology drug candidates: EP0031, a next-generation selective RET inhibitor for RET fusion-positive NSCLC, and EP0089, a CNTN4-targeting immuno-oncology antibody-drug conjugate. Revenue is generated through licensing deals, milestone payments, and royalties on partnered candidates.

Product overview

Ellipses Pharma is a UK-based cancer drug development company founded by Sir Christopher Evans. The company's core business is developing and licensing oncology drugs, with a focus on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and targeted cancer therapies. Its portfolio includes EP0031 (lunbotinib fumarate), a next-generation RET inhibitor licensed from Kelun-Biotech for development outside Greater China, and EP0089, a CNTN4-targeting immuno-oncology candidate. Ellipses Pharma operates through strategic licensing partnerships, having invested $150 million in its pipeline with plans for additional investment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EP0031 (Lunbotinib Fumarate / A400) A next-generation selective RET inhibitor for RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), licensed from Kelun-Biotech. Demonstrated 87.1% confirmed objective response rate in pre-treated patients, 81.3% in treatment-naïve patients, and 92.5% disease control rate in patients with CNS metastases. Developed for global (ex-Greater China) markets through Phase II trials.
• EP0089 (GENA-104) A CNTN4-targeting immuno-oncology antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate licensed from Genome & Company. Entering multi-country Phase 1/2a clinical trials as a first-in-class oncology candidate targeting the CNTN4 mechanism.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87.1% confirmed objective response rate in pre-treated RET fusion-positive NSCLC patients
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Kelun-BiotechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Kelun-Biotech licensed lunbotinib fumarate (A400/EP0031) to Ellipses Pharma for development outside Greater China in March 2021. EP0031 is a next-generation selective RET inhibitor demonstrating strong efficacy in RET fusion-positive NSCLC with 87.1% ORR in pre-treated patients. Ellipses Pharma is advancing the drug through Phase II trials in the US, UK, Europe and UAE.
• Genome & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenome & Company partnered with Ellipses Pharma for the CNTN4-targeting immuno-oncology candidate GENA-104 (assigned code EP0089), which is entering a multi-country Phase 1/2a trial. This represents a strategic shift for Genome & Company toward first-in-class oncology drug development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nuvalent: Clinical-stage biotech developing next-generation selective kinase inhibitors for cancer, including a next-gen RET program (NVL-520). Directly comparable to Ellipses' EP0031 strategy of best-in-class targeted kinase inhibitors.
• Blueprint Medicines: Markets GAVRETO (pralsetinib), an approved selective RET inhibitor for NSCLC, and develops precision oncology therapies. Direct incumbent competitor in the RET fusion-positive NSCLC space targeted by EP0031.
• Turning Point Therapeutics: Designed next-generation kinase inhibitors for oncology (including repotrectinib for RET/ROS1/TRK), acquired by BMS for ~$4.1B. Highly comparable business model to Ellipses' targeted kinase inhibitor approach.
• Black Diamond Therapeutics: Clinical-stage precision oncology company developing allosteric kinase inhibitors. Comparable as a small-molecule targeted oncology developer with assets in early-to-mid stage clinical trials.
• Revolution Medicines: Clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted therapies against frontier cancer targets (RAS, etc.). Comparable stage, modality (targeted small molecules), and oncology focus.
• Repare Therapeutics: Precision oncology company developing synthetic-lethality targeted therapies (SNP-focused discovery platform). Comparable clinical-stage profile and targeted oncology pipeline.
• Cogent Biosciences: Clinical-stage precision oncology company focused on kinase inhibitors and targeted therapies. Comparable size, stage, and targeted-oncology therapeutic approach.

Broad incumbents

• Mirati Therapeutics: Developed targeted oncology therapies including KRAZATI (adagrasib), acquired by BMS for ~$4.8B. Comparable targeted oncology strategy at larger, more mature scale.

Others

• Kelun-Biotech: Chinese biotech that licensed EP0031 (lunbotinib) to Ellipses for development outside Greater China. A direct pipeline/licensing partner whose discovery productivity underpins Ellipses' lead asset.
• Genome & Company: Korean biotech that licensed CNTN4-targeting immuno-oncology candidate GENA-104 (EP0089) to Ellipses. A direct pipeline partner supplying Ellipses' second clinical asset and ADC exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ellipses Pharma