{
  "id": 3909171,
  "title": "SK Biopharm Signs $795 Million Epilepsy Drug Deal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/sk-biopharm-signs-795-million-epilepsy-drug-deal",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-28T06:40:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BusinessKorea",
    "slug": "businesskorea",
    "url": "https://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=275749"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "SK Biopharmaceuticals has signed a $795 million deal with U.S.-based Biohaven Bioscience for the exclusive worldwide rights to Opakalim (BHV-7000), an epilepsy drug candidate, and a Kv7 discovery platform. The agreement, worth up to $795 million, includes a $400 million upfront payment, making it the largest upfront payment ever made by a South Korean pharmaceutical or biotech company in a technology licensing deal. The drug, a selective Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channel activator, is currently in global Phase 2/3 trials for focal-onset seizures. SK Biopharm expects Opakalim to launch in the U.S. in 2029 and sees it as a potential blockbuster drug, reducing its reliance on its self-developed Xcopri and supporting its push to become a global biopharma company.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}