PERTH, Australia – It’s been a year that Mesoblast Ltd. might like to forget. The company’s stock dropped 17% on the news that Novartis AG will terminate its licensing agreement with Mesoblast for remestemcel-L. The decision puts an end to an exclusive global licensing deal Mesoblast inked with Novartis in November 2020 for the development, manufacture and commercialization of the mesenchymal stromal cell product, with an initial focus on acute respiratory distress syndrome, including that associated with COVID-19.

DUBLIN – Immatics NV is banking $150 million up front and could earn up to $770 million more in development, regulatory and commercial milestones from a licensing deal with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. involving IMA-401, its lead bispecific engineered T-cell receptor (TCR).

Regor Therapeutics Group and Eli Lilly and Co. have inked a collaboration and licensing deal to co-develop therapies for metabolic disorders in a deal worth more than $1.5 billion. Under terms of the agreement, Lilly is gaining access to Regor IP to support its development of therapies for obesity and diabetes.

Ildong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. inked a partnership with Shionogi & Co. Ltd. to co-develop S-217622, the latter’s orally administered 3CL protease inhibitor treating COVID-19 and has obtained an IND for a phase II/III trial in South Korea to enroll more than 200 patients who are asymptomatic or suffering from mild to moderate COVID-19.

Bright Peak Therapeutics Inc. has licensed rights to use Livzon Mabpharm Inc.’s anti-PD-1 candidate, LZM-009, to develop its own PD-1 targeted immunocytokines (PD-1 ICs). Bertolt Kreft, chief scientific officer for Bright Peak, told BioWorld that Livzon’s phase II anti-PD-1 “exhibits a promising initial safety and efficacy profile, making it well-suited to the task.

Shares of Alkermes plc slipped 15% Nov. 9 on news that longtime partner Janssen Pharmaceutica NV plans to partially terminate two license agreements related to know-how royalties on U.S. sales of paliperidone products using Alkermes’ nanoparticulate technology. While the move is expected to result in only a modest near-term impact on the Dublin-based firm’s bottom line, it took both company management and investors by surprise.

Tracon Pharmaceuticals Inc. tapped Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.’s wholly owned subsidiary, Eucure Biopharma Co. Ltd., for U.S. rights to CTLA4 antibody YH-001, which it plans to use in immunotherapy studies in combination with its PD-L1 inhibitor.

Everest Medicines Ltd. has in-licensed a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor for the treatment of renal diseases from Suzhou Sinovent Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Sinomab Bioscience Ltd. in a deal worth up to $561 million. Everest gained global rights to develop, produce and commercialize the candidate, XNW-1011.