Kaken Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s license agreement with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)6 inhibitor KP-723 could presage further deals in STAT6, where a number of developers are active. Kaken’s arrangement with J&J involves the global development, manufacturing and sale of KP-723, which has reached the preclinical stage. Tokyo-based Kaken will take the drug through phase I trials, after which J&J takes over.
SK Bioscience Co. Ltd. won €50 million (₩75.5 billion, US$52.03 million) up front from Sanofi SA to expand an earlier agreement to develop and commercialize novel pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs). The first deal resulted in GBP-410 (SP-0202), its pediatric 21-valent PCV candidate that moved into phase III study last week.
In a deal worth $100 million up front and up to $1.25 billion in milestone payments, Bioarctic AB licensed its pyroglutamate-amyloid-β (pyroglutamate-Aβ) antibody program to Bristol Myers Squibb Co. to advance treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
Sangamo Therapeutics Inc.’s second large, worldwide licensing deal for its capsid technology in the past five months is with Astellas Pharma Inc. The California-based company is getting $20 million up front and the chance to bring in up to $1.3 billion in fees and milestone payments in an agreement spanning five potential disease targets for gene therapies to treat neurological diseases.
Its lead program might have hit a safety snag, but Bioage Labs Inc.’s longevity data platform caught the attention of Novartis AG, which agreed to pay $20 million up front in a collaboration to identify drug targets for aging-related diseases. Taking into account potential long-term research, development and commercial milestones, the agreement could bring in up to an additional $530 million.
Merck & Co. Inc. has turned to Asia for a second time to get into the GLP-1 market, this time to Shanghai-based Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. for its investigational preclinical oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. Hansoh is getting $112 million up front and could bring in another $1.9 billion in milestone payments. Merck said the addition to its GLP-1 arsenal is “to provide additional cardiometabolic benefits beyond weight reduction.”
SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. and Proen Therapeutics Co. Ltd. joined hands in a research collaboration to advance up to two preclinical small protein-based radiopharmaceuticals by 2027 – the year SK Biopharmaceuticals aims to “become a leading radiopharma player” worldwide.
Candid Therapeutics Inc. and Epimab Biotherapeutics Inc. have entered a $1 billion research collaboration to discover and develop novel T-cell engager candidates for autoimmune indications.
Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has acquired Bayer AG’s phase II obstructive sleep apnea candidate, BAY-2925976, in a deal worth €85M (US$89.3 million) plus sales-based royalties and commercial milestones.
Biopharma deal activity in November reached $29.18 billion, up from $22.29 billion in October. Year-to-date deal values have increased 3.6%, from $194.13 billion in the first 11 months of 2023 to $201.19 billion through November this year, overtaking 2023 to be the highest year on record through the month.
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