Promising Atopic New Drug Withdrawn.. Amgen Fully Transfers Rights of Lokatiniromab to Kyowa Kirin

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) has agreed to fully terminate its June 2021 license and co-development agreement for rocatinlimab with Japan’s Kyowa Kirin.

Once U.S. antitrust and other regulatory approvals are secured and the termination becomes effective, Amgen will cease all activities related to the asset. Kyowa Kirin will assume sole responsibility for its worldwide development, manufacturing, regulatory filings, and commercialization.

The effective date for termination is set for April 1, 2026, with possible extensions if certain conditions are met.

Amgen also announced it will release its 2025 fourth-quarter and full-year financial results on February 3, after the U.S. market close, followed by an investor conference call that same day.

Earlier, the board declared a first-quarter 2026 dividend of $2.52 per share (approximately KRW 3,300), payable on March 6.

Headquartered in California, Amgen is a major biotech company developing and selling biopharmaceuticals in oncology, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, rare diseases, and obesity. The company is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq-100.

Rocatinlimab, the terminated asset, is an anti-OX40 monoclonal antibody candidate targeting moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and is part of Amgen’s next-generation biologics pipeline for chronic inflammatory skin diseases.