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Global Briefs: Roche, AstraZeneca, GSK & More 

A roundup of news from the large and mid-sized bio/pharmaceutical companies featuring Roche, AstraZeneca, GSK, and SK Biopharmaceuticals. Highlights below.  

For the latest news roundup on small and Emerging Pharma companies, see Biotech Briefs. 

Partnering News 
* Roche, Hanmi Pharm in $2.3-Bn Obesity Drug Pact 
* AstraZeneca, Dizal in $1.5-Bn Lung Cancer Drug Pact 
* Roche, Simcere Zaming in $1.5-Bn Tri-Specific Antibody Drug Pact 
* GSK, Hutchmed in $1.3-Bn Antibody–Small Molecule Drug-Conjugate Pact 
* Roche, DualityBio in $1-Bn ADC Pact 
* SK Biopharmaceuticals, Biohaven in $750-M Epilepsy Drug Pact

Partnering News 

Roche, Hanmi Pharm in $2.3-Bn Obesity Drug Pact 
Roche’s Genentech and Hanmi Pharm, a Seoul, South Korea-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of Hanmi’s HM17321, an investigational drug candidate for treating obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, in a deal worth up to $2.3 billion ($190 million upfront and $2.1 billion in milestone payments). 

HM17321 is a proprietary UCN2 (urocortin-2) analog with a non-incretin mechanism of action and represents a treatment designed to simultaneously promote weight loss and preserve lean body mass. In November 2025, Hanmi received investigational new drug clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to initiate a Phase I clinical trial of HM17321. Hanmi will be responsible for completing the Phase I clinical trial after which Genentech will take over development starting with Phase II clinical trials. 

Under the agreement, Hanmi will receive an upfront payment of $190 million, and development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments for a potential total deal value of $2.3 billion. In addition, Hanmi will be eligible to receive tiered royalties on future product sales following commercialization. 

Source: Hanmi Pharm 

AstraZeneca, Dizal in $1.5 Bn Lung Cancer Drug Pact 
AstraZeneca has completed its previously announced license agreement with Dizal Pharmaceutical, a Shanghai-based bio/pharmaceutical company, for Zegfrovy (sunvozertinib), an oral drug for treating non-small cell lung cancer, in a deal worth up to $1.5 billion ($600 million upfront and $900 million in milestone payments). Through this agreement, AstraZeneca has acquired worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Zegfrovy. 

Zegfrovy is approved in the US and China for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.  

AstraZeneca will make an upfront payment of $600 million to Dizal together with additional payments of up to $900 million upon achievement of specific development, regulatory, and sales-related milestones. Additionally, Dizal will receive tiered royalties on the global sales of Zegfrovy. 

Source: AstraZeneca 

Roche, Simcere Zaming in $1.5-Bn Tri-Specific Antibody Pact 
Roche and Simcere Zaiming, a Nanjing, China-oncology-focused bio/pharmaceutical company and a subsidiary of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, have entered into an exclusive global licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of SIM0660, a tri-specific antibody with therapeutic potential across B-cell-mediated diseases, in a deal worth up to $1.5 billion ($75 million upfront and $1.5 billion in milestone payments). 

SIM0660 is a tri-specific antibody developed by Simcere Zaiming using its T-cell engager poly-specific antibody technology. The molecule combines a CD3-engaging arm with binding domains targeting the two B-cell antigens, CD79a and CD19, to induce potent T cell-mediated cytotoxicity while limiting cytokine release. With its dual-targeting approach to CD79a and CD19, SIM0660 is designed to provide broad coverage across B-cell mediated diseases and may offer a differentiated therapeutic approach for patients previously treated with CD20- or CD19-directed therapies. In addition, SIM0660 also has therapeutic potential for B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, where targeted depletion of pathogenic B cells may provide clinical benefit, according to information from the company.  

Under the agreement, Roche will acquire exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize SIM0660. Simcere Zaiming is eligible to receive up to $1.530 billion in total payments, including $75 million upfront. Simcere Zaiming is also eligible to receive tiered royalties of up to double digits on future net sales. 

Source: Simcere Pharmaceutical Group 

GSK, Hutchmed in $1.2-Bn Antibody-Small-Molecule Drug Conjugate Pact 
GSK and Hutchmed, a Hong Kong based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered into an exclusive development and license agreement, granting a GSK subsidiary worldwide rights, excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, to develop and commercialize HMPL-A830, an antibody-targeted therapy conjugate (ATTC) focused on colorectal, pancreatic and lung cancer, in a deal worth up to $1.3 billion ($110 million upfront and $1.185 billion in milestone payments).  

HMPL-A830, an ATTC, will have its clinical development initially focused on colorectal, pancreatic, and lung cancer indications. The drug comprises a highly selective and potent Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS) small-molecule inhibitor payload conjugated to an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody.  

Under the agreement, Hutchmed will be responsible for the global Phase I development program, which is expected to start in the second half of 2026. The GSK subsidiary will be responsible for all subsequent clinical development and commercialization activities outside of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. 

The agreement includes a $110-million upfront payment and potential development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, for up to a total of $1.295 billion, and royalties on net sales.  

Source: Hutchmed 

Roche, DualityBio in $1-Bn ADC Pact 
Roche’s Genentech and DualityBio, a Shanghai-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered into a collaboration and license agreement to develop antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) built on DualityBio’s proprietary payload antibody conjugate platform, (DUPAC), in a deal worth up to $1 billion ($45 million upfront and $1 billion in milestone payments). 

DUPAC is one of DualityBio’s four ADC platforms and comprises multiple distinct payloads, each built on a unique antitumor mechanism, paired with optimized and compatible linker technologies. Its DUPAC payloads are engineered based on a common set of criteria: high potency, broad-spectrum activity across tumor types, a short systemic half-life permitting rapid clearance, and a bystander effect suited to heterogeneous solid tumors. 

Under the agreement, Duality will generate and develop ADCs against Genentech-defined oncology targets using payloads from the DUPAC platform. For the collaboration programs, DualityBio will lead discovery and early global clinical development. Genentech receives an exclusive, worldwide license to the collaboration ADCs and will assume sole responsibility for further clinical development and commercialization after Phase Ia.  

Under the agreement, DualityBio will receive an upfront payment of $45 million and is eligible to receive more than $1 billion in aggregate development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments across all programs, together with tiered royalties on annual net sales of approved products. 

Source: DualityBio 

SK Biopharmaceuticals, Biohaven in $795-M Epilepsy Drug Pact 
SK Biopharmaceuticals and Biohaven, a New Haven, Connecticut-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have announced a strategic global licensing and collaboration agreement under which SK Biopharmaceuticals will obtain an exclusive worldwide license to Biohaven’s Kv7 ion channel platform, led by opakalim, a drug for treating focal epilepsy, in a deal worth up to $795 million. 

Under the agreement, SK Biopharmaceuticals will make upfront and milestone payments up to $795 million related to the Kv7 platform plus tiered royalties to Biohaven ranging from the mid-teens to low twenties on US net sales of opakalim. Biohaven will receive $400 million in cash consideration, consisting of $350 million payable at closing and an additional $50 million payable in 2027, and Biohaven is eligible to receive an additional $150 million in development and regulatory milestone payments plus royalties on global net sales of opakalim. In addition, SK Biopharmaceuticals will assume responsibility for Kv7 program costs going forward, including certain specified Knopp Biosciences and Kv7 future milestone obligations totaling $245 million and mid-single digit royalty obligations to Knopp Biosciences. 

Following the close of the transaction, the companies will collaborate to advance opakalim through development and US Food and Drug Administration approval. 

Source: Biohaven