Global interest in radiopharmaceuticals is growing, and some big deals in the space have sparked interest in the last few years. Novartis AG has spent about $6 billion in acquisitions and is seen as the global leader.

The big idea behind radiopharmaceuticals is taking the hallmarks of two cancer therapies – radiology and chemotherapy – and merging them, and this is what makes the technology a disrupter.

After spending decades developing targeted chemotherapy and bringing a dozen or so compounds into the clinic, Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Chief Scientific Officer Christopher Leamon switched careers to focus on radio-oncology because he saw the need for “a really strong bomb to target cancer to get it to respond.” That was radiotherapy, said Leamon, who was one of the scientific founders of Endocyte Inc., which Novartis AG acquired.

Global interest in radiopharmaceuticals is growing, and some big deals in the space have sparked interest in the last few years. Novartis AG has spent about $6 billion in acquisitions and is seen as the global leader.

The big idea behind radiopharmaceuticals is taking the hallmarks of two cancer therapies – radiology and chemotherapy – and merging them, and this is what makes the technology a disrupter.

After Novartis AG decided not to take it forward in-house, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse is to fund phase III development of mavoglurant in the treatment of cocaine abuse disorder. The agreement to back a trial involving up to 330 participants is with Stalicla SA, which in-licensed the glutamate receptor antagonist from Novartis earlier this year.

Confo Therapeutics NV is banking an up-front payment of $40 million from a licensing deal with Eli Lilly and Co. involving its lead asset, CFTX-1554, an oral inhibitor of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor, which is in phase I development for neuropathic pain. The deal includes up to $590 million more in potential milestones and tiered sales royalties. Ghent, Belgium-based Confo could also secure a further $590 million in additional milestones should Indianapolis-based Lilly elect to take forward an antibody-based inhibitor directed against the same target.