Kura Oncology Secures $30 Million Milestone Payment From Kyowa Kirin For Ziftomenib AML Drug Development

Kura Oncology, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing precision medicines for cancer treatment, announced that it has received a $30 million milestone payment from its partner, Kyowa Kirin. This payment was made under their collaboration agreement following the dosing of the first patient in the KOMET-017 Phase 3 registrational trials of ziftomenib, an investigational, once-daily oral menin inhibitor. The launch of the KOMET-017 trials was previously announced by Kura and Kyowa Kirin on September 29, 2025.

The KOMET-017 (NCT07007312) program consists of two independent, global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 studies. These trials are designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ziftomenib in combination with both intensive and non-intensive chemotherapy regimens in patients newly diagnosed with NPM1-mutated (NPM1-m) or KMT2A-rearranged (KMT2A-r) acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

According to Kura Oncology, the KOMET-017 program represents the only menin inhibitor initiative currently advancing through registrational trials in both intensive and non-intensive chemotherapy settings. This milestone marks a significant step forward in Kura’s mission to develop innovative and targeted therapies that improve outcomes for patients with AML.