Company (location)

Company (location)

Value (M)

Type/product area

Terms/details

Date

APRIL

4D Molecular Therapeutics Inc. (San Francisco)

Roche AG (Basel, Switzerland)

ND

Collaboration and license agreement to discover and develop optimized next-generation AAV vectors for indications with high unmet medical need

The company will deploy its directed vector evolution platform to identify and optimize gene delivery vectors for use in gene therapy products

4/28/15

4SC AG (Planegg, Germany)

Menarini Asia-Pacific Holdings Pte. Ltd. (Singapore)

$101.2

Licensing and development partnership for 4SC's oral histone deacetylase inhibitor, resminostat, for the Asia-Pacific region

Menarini wil pay 4SC up-front and milestone payments of up to $101.2M in exchange for exclusive licensing rights to develop it in all APAC countries, excluding Japan, and in all oncological indications; 4SC will be eligible for double-digit royalties

4/15/15

Argos Therapeutics Inc. (Durham, N.C.)

Lummy (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd.

$40

Deal to manufacture, develop and commercialize AGS-003, an immunotherapy to treat cancer in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau

An affiliate of Lummy HK and the China Biopharma Capital I Fund purchased an aggregate of 1M shares of Argos' stock at a 12.5% premium price, for a total purchase price of $10M; Argos also is entitled to a royalty at a rate in the teens and up to $20M, and a $10M milestone-related investment

4/15/15

Arvinas LLC (Yale University spinout)

Merck & Co. Inc. (Whitehouse Station, N.J.)

$434

Multiyear strategic partnership to create new therapies for multiple diseases, most likely including cancer

Deal includes an undisclosed up-front payment, funding to support Merck-related research and up to $434M in milestone payments related to research and development, regulatory and commercial goals for targets selected by Merck; Merck also would pay tiered royalties

4/8/15

Bioxcel Corp. (Branford, Conn.)

Takeda Development Center Americas (unit of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.; Osaka, Japan)

ND

Partnership for the repurposing of assets across the spectrum of rare diseases

The partnership will allow Takeda access to Bioxcel's Big Data Innovation Lab and PharmGPS orphan disease suite for drug discovery and repurposing

4/10/15

Celgene Corp. (Summit, N.J.)

Astrazeneca plc (London)

$450

Out-licensing agreement to develop MEDI4736, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, in hematological cancers

Celgene will pay $450M up-front and will lead the clinical program and be responsible for all R&D costs up to the end of 2016, when it will switch to paying 75% of those costs; Celgene will be responsible for commercialization and will receive royalties starting at 70%; Astrazeneca will do the manufacturing

4/27/15

Curadev Pharma Private Ltd. (New Delhi, India)

Roche Holding AG (Basel, Switzerland)

$555

Research collaboration and licensing agreement to develop and commercialize IDO1 (indoleamine-2, 3-dioxygenase-1) and TDO (tryptophan-2, 3-dioxygenase) inhibitors

Curadev will receive an up-front payment of $25M and also will be eligible to receive up to $530M in milestone payments, plus royalties

4/21/15

Eyenovia Inc. (Tampa, Fla.)

Senju Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan)

ND

Exclusive license and development agreement whereby Senju acquired the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize microdosed ophthalmic therapeutics in Japan and the rest of Asia

Senju will also assume responsibility for all Asia research and development activities

4/17/15

Hydra Biosciences Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.)

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Ingelheim, Germany)

ND

Worldwide research collaboration and license agreement to identify small-molecule inhibitors of transient receptor potential, with a primary focus on treating renal diseases and disorders

Boehringer is responsible for global development and commercialization; Hydra will receive an up-front payment, research funding, milestone payments and tiered royalties

4/14/15

Innate Pharma SA (Marseille, France)

Sanofi SA (Paris)

ND

Collaboration to apply site-specific conjugation technology to develop new antibody-drug conjugates

Sanofi-Aventis Recherche & Developpement will evaluate site-specific payload conjugation to enhance ADC pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety and has the option to enter a licensing agreement with Innate on that technology

4/17/15

Innate Pharma SA (Marseille, France)

Astrazeneca plc (London)

$1,275

Agreement to in-license Innate's IPH2201, a natural killer cell-activating antibody, which is in phase II

The product will be developed both as a monotherapy and in combination with MEDI4736, an anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor being developed by Astrazeneca's Medimmune; Innate gets $250M up-front, $100M at the start of phase III development, $925M in regulatory and sales-related milestones, plus royalties on sales; it also has rights to co-promote and take 50% of profits on products marketed in Europe

4/27/15

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (Burlington, N.C.)

Shandong Xuanzhu Pharma Co. Ltd. (subsidiary of Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd.; Beijing)

ND

Long-term partnership in which Covance Drug Development, now part of Labcorp, will support the global development of Sihuan Pharmaceutical's drug candidate pipeline, which includes compounds to treat cardiovascular, metabolic, infectious disease, oncology and urology indications

Covance will provide Sihuan Pharmaceutical with global drug development and regulatory expertise, particularly in efforts to achieve dual or multiple filings for regulatory approvals such as investigational new drug applications and new drug applications in China and internationally

4/2/15

Lead Discovery Center GmbH (Dortmund, Germany)

Astrazeneca plc (London)

ND

Agreement to discover new medicines to treat human diseases with high unmet medical need

Through a two-year collaboration, Astrazeneca will add 250,000 high-quality compounds to LDC's internal screening collection to pursue projects in the areas of oncology, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and infection research

4/15/15

Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. (San Diego)

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp. (Osaka, Japan)

$115

Exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement to develop and commercialize its VMAT2 inhibitor, NBI-98854, in Japan and other Asian markets

Neurocrine is set to receive $30M up front and is eligible for up to $85M in development and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties on related product sales from Mitsubishi Tanabe's territories in Asia, which include China, South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong

4/2/15

Oncomed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Redwood City, Calif.)

Eli Lilly and Co. (Indianapolis)

ND

Agreement to supply Alimta (pemetrexed for injection) for Oncomed's ongoing phase II DENALI trial testing its anti-Delta-like ligand 4 antibody, demcizumab, in combination with Alimta and carboplatin in first-line advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

Terms were not disclosed

4/3/15

Ovid Therapeutics Inc. (New York)

H. Lundbeck A/S (Valby, Denmark)

ND

Exclusive worldwide license for gaboxadol to treat neurological diseases Angelman syndrome and Fragile X syndrome

Ovid obtained exclusive global development and commercialization rights for OV101, in return for a minority stake by Lundbeck and undisclosed milestone payments and sales royalties

4/17/15

Potenza Therapeutics Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.)

Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo)

ND

Exclusive research and development collaboration in which Potenza will be advancing a portfolio of candidates that target immune checkpoint pathways, co-stimulatory signals and regulatory T cells

Astellas holds an option to buy out Potenza; under the terms, Potenza will lead drug discovery activities and hand over development prospects to Astellas, which will handle clinical development and commercialization; financial terms were not detailed but also include an equity investment, option fee, research funding and milestone payments

4/23/15

Resverlogix Corp. (Calgary, Alberta)

Hepalink Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Shenzhen, China)

$400

Agreement for rights in all indications to RVX-208, a small-molecule BET bromodomain inhibitor, in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau

The product is being studied in cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus and low high-density lipoprotein; Hepalink is investing about $28.9M in Resverlogix, and if RVX-208 reaches annual sales milestones, Resverlogix gets sales-based payments ranging from $5M to $90M, along with royalties, with a total payout of more than $400M

4/28/15

R-Tech Ueno Ltd. (Tokyo)

Santen Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan)

ND

Deal for R-Tech to acquire the right to develop and commercialize DE-105

DE-105 is a treatment targeting at persistent corneal epithelial defects that Santen has been developing currently in a phase I trial in the U.S. and phase II trial in Japan

4/28/15

Syndax Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Waltham, Mass.)

Merck & Co. Inc. (Whitehouse Station, N.J.)

ND

Clinical trial collaboration to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining Syndax's entinostat, an epigenetic therapy, with Merck's Keytruda (pembrolizumab), the first anti-PD-1 therapy approved in the U.S.

The phase Ib/II study will evaluate that combination regimen in patients with either advanced non-small-cell lung cancer or melanoma; the study is expected to begin enrolling patients in the second half of this year

4/1/15

Tetralogic Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Malvern, Pa.)

Merck & Co. Inc. (Whitehouse Station, N.J.)

ND

Oncology clinical study collaboration for a phase I trial to evaluate birinapant, Tetralogic's SMAC-mimetic, in combination with Merck's PD-1 blocker Keytruda (pemrolizumab)

It will be studied in patients with relapsed or refractory solid tumors and is expected to start later this year

4/21/15

Uniqure NV (Amsterdam)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (New York)

$2,000

Deal to develop treatments for cardiovascular diseases, including a gene therapy for congestive heart failure that would restore the heart's ability to synthesize S100A1

BMS will nominate nine other targets; the S100A1 program has a $254M potential value up to commercialization, and the other nine are valued at $217M; Uniqure will manufacture any products and be eligible for sales milestones and royalties; Uniqure will receive $100M near term, $50M of which is up front; BMS will pay $15M for the selection of the first three targets beyond S100A1, and is investing $32M in Uniqure stock now and a further 5% by the end of the year, with a further two options to invest; total deal is worth $2B-plus

4/7/15

VBI Vaccines Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.)

Sanofi Pasteur Inc. (vaccines division of Sanofi SA; Paris)

ND

Research collaboration to apply its lipid particle vaccine formulation technology to further the development and improve the stability of a key Sanofi vaccine candidate

The collaboration provides Sanofi with the option to acquire certain worldwide rights to use VBI's technology in its vaccines; the vaccine candidate and the terms of the agreement were not disclosed

4/8/15

Vernalis plc (Berkshire, UK)

Taisho Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo)

ND

Drug discovery collaboration that will employ Vernalis' fragment- and structure-based drug discovery platform against an undisclosed target for the development of potential antibiotic agents

Financial terms were not disclosed

4/8/15

MAY

Ablynx NV (Ghent, Belgium)

Sanofi SA (Paris)

ND

Exclusive research collaboration to investigate nanobodies against a target that plays an important role in multiple sclerosis (MS) and specifically aligns with Genzyme's early stage MS research programs

Genzyme will have the right to perform in vitro and in vivo research with Ablynx's nanobodies in MS-relevant models in return for an exclusivity fee

5/19/15

Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (New Haven, Conn.)

Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Titusville, N.J.; unit of Johnson & Johnson)

$1,325

Partnership to develop and commercialize one or more hepatitis C virus therapies, including ACH-3102, ACH-3422 and the protease inhibitor sovaprevir

Achillion is granting Janssen an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize the products, in exchange for development, regulatory and sales milestones, plus $225.4M in an up-front equity investment; total deal value is $1.325B, plus tiered royalties in the mid-teens to low-20s percentages

5/20/15

Biontech AG (Mainz, Germany)

Eli Lilly and Co. (Indianapolis)

$360

Research collaboration to discover cancer immunotherapies, aiming to identify and validate tumor targets and their corresponding T-cell receptors in one or more types of cancers

Biontech will get a $30M signing fee and could receive more than $300M in development, regulatory and commercial milestones, and would be eligible for tiered royalty payments up to double digits; Lilly also will make a $30M equity investment in Biontech's subsidiary, Cell & Gene Therapies GmbH

5/12/15

Cyclenium Pharma Inc. (Sherbrooke, Quebec)

Haplogen GmbH (Vienna)

ND

Research agreement aimed at the discovery of pharmaceutical candidates in multiple disease areas through a pairing of the companies' drug discovery platforms

The partners initially will focus on certain antiviral Haplogen targets, with targets in other therapeutic indications being phased in as the research progresses

5/8/15

Cyclenium Pharma Inc. (Sherbrooke, Quebec)

Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo)

ND

Two-year drug discovery collaboration using Cyclenium's Quest Library of next-generation synthetic small-molecule macrocycles

Cyclenium will receive an up-front payment and research funding from Astellas, which will be responsible for preclinical and clinical development of any drug candidates that result from the efforts

5/13/15

Endo International plc (Dublin)

Aspen Holdings Inc.

$130

Endo bought a broad portfolio of branded and generic injectable and established products focused on pain, anti-infectives, cardiovascular and other specialty therapeutics areas

The deal adds a product portfolio that generated about $28M of revenues last fiscal year, as well as a pipeline of products

5/12/15

Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Carlsbad, Calif.)

Bayer Healthcare (Leverkusen, Germany)

$155

Alliance for potential first-in-class factor XI inhibitor

Isis gains $100M up front and another $55M could come upon advancement of antisense oligonucleotide ISIS-FXIrx following a phase II trial in compromised kidney function; the deal also includes milestone payments and tiered royalties in the low to high 20% range

5/5/15

Mabspace Biosciences Co. Ltd. (Suzhou, China)

Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co. Ltd. (Lianyungang, China)

ND

Collaboration to co-develop antibody therapeutics on two targets

Mabspace will be responsible for the discovery and selection of humanized lead antibodies, while Hengrui will get exclusive global rights on the resulting therapeutic candidates for the nominated targets and will further develop the selected candidate molecules

5/20/15

Peptidream Inc. (Tokyo)

Merck & Co. Inc. (Kenilworth, N.J.)

ND

Multitarget discovery and optimization collaboration in which Peptidream will use its Peptide Discovery Platform System technology to generate macrocyclic/constrained peptides against multiple targets of interest selected by Merck

Merck will have the right to develop and commercialize therapeutic peptides resulting from the collaboration, with an option to nonexclusively license the PDPS technology at a future date; Peptidream is set to receive an undisclosed up-front payment and research funding and will be eligible for milestone payments and sales royalties

5/4/15

Psivida Corp. (Watertown, Mass.)

Unnamed pharmaceutical company

ND

Technology evaluation agreement for Psivida's Durasert technology for delivering a compound to treat ophthalmic disease

Terms were not disclosed

5/13/15

Selecta Biosciences Inc. (Watertown, Mass.)

Généthon (Evry, France)

ND

Deal to eliminate undesired immune responses to a common viral vector used in gene therapies

They will combine Généthon's expertise in gene therapy vectors and Selecta's SVP platform to co-develop and co-own gene therapies that result; the initial focus will be on muscular dystrophies and pediatric liver metabolic diseases that employ adeno-associated virus vectors

5/14/15

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Bethesda, Md.)

Harbin Gloria Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. (Harbin, China)

$1.5

Exclusive license, development, commercialization and supply agreement for Amitiza (lubiprostone), a chloride channel activator that acts locally in the small intestine to restore motility and to address symptoms of constipation in China

Sucampo will receive $1.5M up-front and a milestone payment

5/13/15

Transition Therapeutics Inc. (Toronto)

Eli Lilly and Co. (Indianapolis)

$101

Exclusively licensed worldwide rights agreement to a small-molecule drug candidate

Lilly will receive contingent up-front consideration of up to $1M and will be eligible to receive up to $100M in commercial milestones and a mid-single-digit royalty on sales of TT701 products

5/7/15

Notes

The date indicated refers to the BioWorld Today issue in which the news item can be found.

For more information about individual companies and/or products, see Thomson Reuters Cortellis.