The licensing deal marks AbbVie’s first foray into new pain medicines, a space where Vertex currently enjoys a lead thanks to the NaV1.8 inhibitor Journavax.
AbbVie is getting in on the pain game in a deal with China’s Haisco Pharmaceutical Group that could be worth up to $715 million.
The Chinese biotech has granted the American pharma rights to multiple compounds for pain-related indications. The assets range from preclinical to Phase 1 testing in China, according to a Monday morning release.
This marks AbbVie’s first foray into new pain medicines, a space where Vertex currently enjoys a lead. The approval of Journavax last year ushered in a new era for the treatment of pain, with a novel non-opioid option in the pain signal inhibitor class of medicines. The drug specifically targets the NaV1.8 voltage-gated sodium channel that plays a critical role in generating and transmitting pain.
Eli Lilly is also working on new pain therapies, after buying SiteOne Therapeutics in May 2025 for up to $1 billion for a pipeline that includes a NaV1.8 inhibitor.
AbbVie and Haisco did not specify what type of pain medicines will be explored through the deal. Haisco has previously presented preclinical data on NaV1.8 inhibitors but also has analgesic and non-controlled opioids in its pipeline.
Haisco credited AbbVie’s neuroscience expertise as a strength of the new partnership. The pharma has an expansive migraine portfolio, including approved medicines Ubrelvy and Qulipta, while Vraylar is approved for bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Earlier in the pipeline, AbbVie is developing therapies for schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and spinal cord injury.
In 2023, AbbVie bought Cerevel for $8.7 billion to challenge Bristol Myers Squibb in the schizophrenia space. But the key asset in that deal, emraclidine, has struggled in the clinic.
Unswayed by the Cerevel challenge, AbbVie also entered psychedelics last year with the $1.2 billion acquisition of Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals’ bretisilocin.
As for Haisco, the Chinese biotech has been stepping up its international partnerships in an effort to expand around the world. The company licensed a chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder drug to AirNexis in January in a deal worth $108 million upfront, rising to over $1 billion with milestones and other potential payments.
