Agreement Grants Conba Rights for the Development and Commercialization of Cebranopadol for Pain Across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, representing an important step in expanding the global potential of cebranopadol
Under the Terms of the Agreement, Conba Will Pay an Upfront Payment of $17.5 Million (USD), Along with Development and Commercial Milestone Payments Totaling More Than $100 Million (USD), and Tiered Royalties on Net Sales Starting in the Double Digits
Adneuris Anticipates Submitting a New Drug Application (NDA) for Cebranopadol to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Later This Year for the Treatment of Acute Pain
MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J., July 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Adneuris Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Tris Pharma advancing a new kind of pain medicine, today announced that it has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Zhejiang Conba Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“Conba”) (SSE: 600572). This agreement grants Conba the rights to develop and commercialize cebranopadol, Adneuris' lead investigational therapy, for the treatment of acute pain in the Greater China region, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
The agreement, signed this month, marks Adneuris' first ex-U.S. licensing transaction, supporting the company’s vision for advancing a new era in pain medicine to treat severe pain. Central to that strategy is cebranopadol, Adneuris’ lead investigational therapy, first-in-class dual-NMR (nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide, NOP, and µ-opioid peptide, MOP, receptors) agonist that has completed Phase 3 clinical development for moderate-to-severe acute pain. Adneuris plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) later this year.
Under the terms of the agreement, Conba will pay Adneuris an upfront payment of $17.5 million (USD), along with development and commercial milestone payments totaling more than $100 million (USD), plus tiered royalties on net sales starting in the double digits. Conba will hold exclusive rights to develop and commercialize cebranopadol for acute pain in the licensed territory, with the option to expand into additional indications, including cancer pain and other chronic pain types.
“This agreement is about more than extending cebranopadol's reach into one of the largest pain management markets in the world; it's about giving those patients access to a new potential option in pain management,” said Ketan Mehta, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tris Pharma. “Conba's deep commercial infrastructure and clinical relationships across China's hospital system and physician networks make them the right partner to help bring this new first-in-class therapy to patients who need new options beyond traditional opioids.”
"The development of cebranopadol represents an important step forward for innovative pain therapies in China," said Mr. Fan Zhou, President of Zhejiang Conba Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. "Postoperative pain remains poorly managed for millions of patients here, and existing options often force a tradeoff between efficacy and safety. Cebranopadol's clinical profile, paired with our commercial reach and relationships across China's hospital and physician networks, gives us a strong foundation to bring this therapy to the patients who need it."
Cebranopadol was evaluated in two pivotal Phase 3 trials — ALLEVIATE-1 (following abdominoplasty) and ALLEVIATE-2 (following bunionectomy) — and overall enrolling more than 2,400 participants across its broader clinical programs. Specifically, in both ALLEVIATE studies, cebranopadol demonstrated a significant reduction in pain compared with placebo over 48 hours, reduced use of opioid rescue medication, and sustained pain control, supporting its potential to deliver efficacy comparable to standard-of-care therapies, with a differentiated safety profile designed to reduce the risk of side effects associated with conventional opioid treatments, such as dependence and misuse.
The transaction was unanimously approved by Conba's board of directors and does not constitute a related-party transaction. It follows Conba's broader strategy of licensing innovative, clinical-stage assets to complement its postoperative and pain management portfolio in China.
About Adneuris Therapeutics
Adneuris Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tris Pharma, is dedicated to developing new therapies for people living with pain. Guided by a patient-first approach, the company is focused on advancing innovative science with the goal of improving pain management and addressing unmet patient needs. Adneuris is committed to helping shape the future of pain care through research, collaboration and a focus on delivering meaningful treatment options.
For more information, visit https://adneuris.com/.
About Tris Pharma, Inc.
Tris Pharma, Inc. is a privately held, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical commercial-stage company that is applying drug development capabilities and proprietary technologies to transform the treatment of ADHD, pain, and disorders of the central nervous system into advanced, targeted drug delivery. Tris markets a portfolio of best-in-class ADHD products and is developing a robust pipeline of differentiated near-term drug candidates.
For more information, visit www.trispharma.com.
About Cebranopadol
Cebranopadol is a first-in-class investigational therapy that targets two key receptors, the nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide (NOP) and µ-opioid peptide (MOP) receptors (a dual-NMR agonist), for the treatment of moderate-to-severe pain, as well as opioid use disorder (OUD). Studied in over 33 clinical trials in more than 2,400 subjects, cebranopadol's profile has been well characterized in pain management studies, demonstrating positive clinical results in acute pain, chronic pain and diabetic neuropathic pain with a favorable safety profile. The FDA granted Fast Track Designation to cebranopadol for chronic low back pain, and if approved, it has the potential to become the first dual-NMR agonist to provide robust pain relief with a reduced risk of dependence, misuse, addiction or overdose than selective MOP agonists such as oxycodone.
Cebranopadol's novel mechanism of action also has potential in treating patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded Tris a five-year grant of up to $16.6 million to study cebranopadol's potential to treat OUDs and SUDs.
About Zhejiang Conba Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Zhejiang CONBA Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (SHA: 600572) is one of China's leading pharmaceutical companies, with over 50 years of operating history and a reputation for quality, scale, and trust. Originally founded as Lanxi Yunshan Pharmaceutical Factory, CONBA has evolved into an integrated pharmaceutical enterprise encompassing R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization, listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange since 2004. The company is ranked among China's Top 10 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) enterprises and has been designated a "Science & Technology Reform Demonstration Enterprise" by China's State Council — a mark of national recognition for its innovation capabilities.
CONBA's controlling shareholder is Zhejiang TCM Health Industry Group, a subsidiary of Zhejiang International Trade Group, with the Zhejiang Provincial State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission as the ultimate controlling shareholder. This state-ownership backbone provides institutional stability, regulatory connectivity, and long-term strategic support.
For more information, visit: https://www.conbapharm.com/en/index.php
Contact:
Cheryl Patnick
Tris Pharma
732-823-4940
Media Contact:
Madelin Hawtin
LifeSci Communications
MHawtin@lifescicomms.com
