Licensing
A new proposal from the U.S. government seeking to address investment in Chinese biotech as a matter of national security drew cautious statements from across the industry, with leaders vowing to ensure innovation isn’t stifled.
Roche is offering $400 million upfront and over $15 billion in biobucks to team up with Hansoh Pharmaceutical in hopes of developing a portfolio of new antibody-drug conjugates using the latter’s in-house tech.
AstraZeneca will tap AI-focused insitro to find new targets for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and cardiomyopathies, following the Phase 3 failure of its Ionis-partnered Wainua in transthyretin-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy.
The Gilead Sciences deal, which include $135 million in upfront and near-term payments, marks a critical platform validation for Vir Biotechnology as investors await an upcoming readout in solid tumors.
While industry leaders are unsure whether the U.S. or China will prevail, they are largely united in the belief that Europe is lagging behind.
Eli Lilly first linked up with Gate Bioscience in July 2025 to leverage the biotech’s “Molecular Gate” engine to treat diseases with high unmet need. Monday’s expansion will add one undisclosed target to the existing agreement, with an option for a second.
After a series of clinical-stage failures, Alector is resetting around its preclinical blood-brain barrier delivery technology, securing a big pharma partnership along the way.
Investors looking for more transformative business development at Novo will have to wait, but a new partnership with China’s Hengrui Pharma adds a new weekly oral option to the Danish pharma’s early pipeline.
Merck continues to diversify its cancer efforts as the clock ticks down on Keytruda’s patent, picking up rights to a preclinical oncology asset in a deal that could exceed $2 billion.
Novartis is the current radiopharma leader with two FDA-approved therapies in Pluvicto and Lutathera.
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