China
BMS is Harbour’s second powerhouse partner this year after the Chinese biotech signed a potential $4.68 billion deal with AstraZeneca in March.
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Pfizer deals again in obesity space as Wave and Structure drop splashy weight loss results; what CDER Director Richard Pazdur’s sudden retirement means for biopharma; neuro diseases take center stage at CTAD; and more.
What China is accomplishing in R&D “has implications for everyone playing in the R&D or innovation world,” McKinsey’s Fangning Zhang says.
The partnership will focus on Crescent’s PD-1/VEGF inhibitor CR-001 and Kelun-Biotech’s SKB105, both of which the companies plan to push into Phase I/II development for solid tumors early next year.
With new UK clinical trial rules landing in 2026, the EU Biotech Act on the horizon and China and Australia gaining ground, CROs are zeroing in on study timelines, AI/ML and data privacy as the industry’s next pressure points.
The CRO market in the APAC region is thriving, particularly in China, due to intense clinical trial and innovation development, with Western investors and pharma leaning in.
A spokesperson for the FDA said the agency is “considering a wide range of options to support American innovation.”
The back-heavy deal includes a $5 million upfront payment for two novel T cell engagers, though the companies have yet to disclose priority indications.
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