Haisco Pharmaceutical Group has been on a deal hot streak this year, inking major deals with Eli Lilly, AbbVie and more. The new company will take on one of Haisco’s core immunology assets.
China’s Haisco Pharmaceutical Group—which already counts Eli Lilly as a major partner—has signed another deal potentially worth about $1.5 billion dollars with two American venture capital firms.
The deal will form Sentivera, a new company backed by Population Health Partners and ARCH Venture Partners that will take on one of Haisco’s core immunology assets, according to a Tuesday release.
Haisco will receive $75.9 million in upfront and equity payments and as much as $1.46 billion on the back end in milestones and royalties on net sales should the asset succeed to launch.
The companies did not name the asset that will form the basis of the new company but said it tackles type 2 inflammatory diseases. These can include asthma, atopic dermatitis (eczema), chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and eosinophilic esophagitis—disease areas that are ripe with Big Pharma incumbents.
Sentivera will take on global development rights to the candidate worldwide outside of China, where Haisco will continue working on the drug. The therapy achieved investigational new drug status in China earlier this month and has shown anti-inflammatory activity and a favorable safety profile in preclinical testing, according to the release.
Haisco has been on a deal hot streak this year, inking a collaboration with Eli Lilly in June that could be worth up to $3 billion for five programs. Also in June, the Chinese biotech linked up with Nuvectis for two late-stage programs in a deal worth up to $1.4 billion.
In April, AbbVie picked up worldwide rights to a pain asset from Haisco for up to $715 million.
