Simcere Pharmaceutical Group has out-licensed its autoimmune drug candidate SIM-0278 for all indications to Almirall SA in a deal worth up to $507 million. Simcere granted exclusive global rights to the candidate to Almirall for development and commercialization excluding mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. In return, Almirall will pay Simcere $15 million up front.
Solid Biosciences Inc. found a way to continue its Duchenne muscular dystrophy push, inking a deal to acquire privately held Aavantibio Inc., at the same time nailing down $75 million by way of a private placement with institutional investors.
After two years of talks, privately held Ventus Therapeutics Inc. and Novo Nordisk A/S have signed an exclusive worldwide license deal to commercialize candidates from Ventus’ portfolio of peripherally restricted NLR pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inhibitors. Along with Roche Holding AG’s September 2020 acquisition of Inflazome Ltd. and Novartis AG’s buyout of subsidiary IFM Tre in April 2019, this is another step by big players to get into the NLRP3 space.
Zai Lab Ltd. has agreed to pay $30 million up front to in-license from Seagen Inc. exclusive rights to the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin) in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Seagen is also eligible to receive development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments of undisclosed value, as well as tiered royalties on net sales of the drug in Zai’s territory.
CRISPR-based cell therapies continued to gain steam Sept. 27 with the announcements of a potentially valuable big pharma collaboration and an ambitious global regulatory push.
Shares of Lava Therapeutics NV rocketed by more than 90% Sept. 26 as the company disclosed a licensing deal with Seagen Inc. to develop and commercialize preclinical-stage EGFR-targeting bispecific candidate LAVA-1223, which comes with $50 million in up-front funding and up to a potential $650 million in milestones. It also adds further validation for harnessing gamma-delta T cells to treat cancer, an approach that is growing increasingly popular.
Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd. subsidiary Chia Tai-Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. has acquired greater China rights to lanifibranor from Inventiva SA in a deal worth up to $307 million. Included in the deal are rights to develop and commercialize the drug in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and other metabolic diseases.
Spero Therapeutics Inc. has come out swinging after a U.S. FDA rejection for its oral antibiotic, tebipenem Hbr, picking up a potential $600 million licensing deal with pharma giant GSK plc after agreeing on a plan with the regulator to revive the drug.
Merck KGaA has struck a collaboration and option-to-license deal with Nerviano Medical Sciences Srl centered around NMS-293, a next-generation PARP-1 inhibitor already in early clinical development for brain tumors. Merck is making a play for the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor market, first opened up in December 2014 by Astrazeneca plc, when Lynparza (olaparib) was first approved in advanced ovarian cancer, going on to become a blockbuster through a partnership with Merck & Co Inc.
About four months after starting its search for strategic alternatives, Sesen Bio Inc. disclosed an all-stock merger with privately held cell-therapy specialist Carisma Therapeutics Inc., a move that sent shares (NASDAQ:SESN) down 22 cents, or 32.7%, to close at 45 cents. Sesen stockholders are expected to own about 41.7% of the combined firm, and Carisma the remainder.
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