Partnering News: Novo Nordisk, Merck & Co., Roche, AstraZeneca & More
A roundup of bio/pharmaceutical partnering news from Novo Nordisk/United Bio-Technology (Hengqin), Merck & Co./Hengrui Pharma, Roche/Oxford BioTherapeutics, AstraZeneca/Alteogen, and BI/Salipro Biotech. Highlights below.
* Novo Nordisk in $2-Bn Licensing Pact with Chinese Company for Diabetes, Obesity Drug
* Merck & Co., Hengrui Pharma in $2-Bn Pact for Anti-Cholesterol Drug
* Roche, Oxford BioTherapeutics in $1-Bn Oncology Drug Pact
* AstraZeneca, Alteogen in Licensing Pact for Subcutaneous Formulations
* BI, Salipro Biotech in Membrane Protein Stabilization Pact
Novo Nordisk in $2-Bn Licensing Pact with Chinese Company for Diabetes, Obesity Drug
Novo Nordisk has entered an exclusive license agreement with United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) (UBT), a subsidiary of United Laboratories International Holdings Limited (TUL), a Hong Kong-based bio/pharmaceutical company, for UBT’s UBT251, an investigational drug for treating Type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic disease indications, in a deal worth up to $2 billion ($200 million upfront and $1.8 billion in potential milestones).
UBT251 is a long-acting synthetic peptide triple agonist targeting the receptors for GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide), and glucagon. It is categorized as a Class 1 innovative drug in China and is being developed by UBT for multiple indications. It is approved for clinical trials in China in adult Type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, and chronic kidney disease, and for clinical trials in the US in adult Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and chronic kidney disease. UBT recently initiated a Phase II trial for UBT251 in obesity in China.
Under the license agreement, Novo Nordisk will obtain exclusive worldwide rights (excluding t Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) to develop, manufacture, and commercialize UBT251. UBT will retain the rights for UBT251 in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. UBT is eligible to receive an upfront payment of $200 million and potential milestone payments of up to $1.8 billion from Novo Nordisk as well as tiered royalties on net sales outside of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
The closing of this transaction is subject to applicable regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions.
Source: Novo Nordisk
Merck & Co., Hengrui Pharma in $2-Bn Pact for Anti-Cholesterol Drug
Merck & Co. has formed an exclusie license agreement with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, a Shanghai, China-based bio/pharmaceutical company, for Hengrui Pharma’s HRS-5346, an investigational oral small-molecule lipoprotein(a) inhibitor, an anti-cholesterol drug, in a deal worth up to $2 billion ($200 million upfront and potential milestone payments up to $1.77 billion).
Produced in the liver, lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a type of lipoprotein that carries cholesterol, fats, and proteins in the blood. Lp(a) can accumulate in blood vessel walls, forming atherosclerotic plaques similar to LDL cholesterol. Elevated Lp(a) is a genetically determined condition and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Hengrui Pharma’s HRS-5346 is currently being evaluated in a Phase II clinical trial in China.
Under the agreement, Hengrui Pharma has granted Merck exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize HRS-5346 worldwide, excluding the Greater China region. Hengrui Pharma will receive an upfront payment of $200 million and is eligible to receive milestone payments associated with certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones up to $1.77 billion, as well as royalties on net sales of HRS-5346, if approved.
Closing of the proposed transaction is subject to approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025.
Hengrui Pharma has an R&D team of more than 5,500 people and 14 R&D sites globally, along with several subsidiaries in the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Hengrui currently has 18 commercialized new molecular entity drugs and four other innovative drugs. As of December 31, 2024, the company was conducting approximately 400 clinical trials for more than 90 innovative drug candidates.
Source: Merck & Co.
Roche, Oxford BioTherapeutics in $1-Bn Oncology Drug Pact
Roche and Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT), an Oxford, UK-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company, have formed a mult-year collaboration for the development of oncology drugs, in a deal worth up to $1 billion ($36 million upfront and potential milestones of $1 billion).
OBT has a pipeline of immuno-oncology drugs, antibody drug conjugates, and bispecific antibodies for treating cancer. The company recently launched an enhanced version of its proprietary OGAP-Verify drug-discovery platform.
Under the agreement, targets will be identified via the OGAP-Verify discovery platform and will be validated through the research collaboration. Any further research, development, and commercialization efforts against these targets will be driven by Roche. OBT will receive up to $36 million in upfront payments from Roche and may be eligible to receive milestone payments potentially exceeding $1 billion, plus product royalties on net sales.
Source: Oxford BioTherapeutics
AstraZeneca, Alteogen in Licensing Pact for Subcutaneous Formulations
AstraZeneca has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Alteogen, a South Korean bio/pharmaceutical company, for Alteogen’s ALT-B4, a recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme using Alteogen’s Hybrozyme technology, which enables large-volume subcutaneous administration, to be applied to certain oncology assets of AstraZeneca.
Alteogen has developed a proprietary recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme using its Hybrozyme technology, which enables the large-volume subcutaneous administration of drugs that are typically administered as an IV infusion. ALT-B4 does this by temporarily hydrolyzing hyaluronan in an extracellular matrix.
Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will acquire worldwide rights to use Alteogen’s ALT-B4 to develop and commercialize subcutaneous formulations of several oncology assets. Alteogen will be responsible for clinical and commercial supply of ALT-B4 to AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca will make an upfront payment to Alteogen and additional payments upon achievement of specific development, regulatory, and sales-related milestones. Additionally, Alteogen will receive royalties on the sales of the commercialized products.
Alteogen also focuses on the development and commercialization of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), biobetters, and biosimilars. Alteogen’s portfolio includes clinical-stage long-acting therapeutic proteins and ADCs, developed by its proprietary NexP-fusion and NexMab platform technology, respectively.
Last November (November 2024), the company entered a licensing pact with Daiichi Sankyo for use of Alteogen’s ALT-B4 in a subcutaneous version of Enhertu (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki), an ADC jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca for treating certain forms of breast and gastric cancers.
Source: AstraZeneca
BI, Salipro Biotech in Membrane Protein Stabilization Pact
Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) has formed a research and license agreement with Salipro Biotech, a Stockholm, Sweden-based bio/pharmaceutical company specializing in the stabilization of membrane proteins.
Many drug targets are membrane proteins, but these targets may be unstable and challenging to investigate, according to information from Salipro Biotech. The company’s proprietary platform technology is designed to stabilize membrane proteins in their native forms to enable their use in drug-discovery programs. The collaboration aims to advance the discovery and development of new therapeutics targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, transporters, and other integral membrane proteins in therapeutic areas such as mental health and cardio-renal-metabolic diseases. BI will conduct biophysical and structural studies, including cryo-electron microscopy on BI pipeline targets enabled by Salipro’s technology to identify potential therapeutic candidates.
Under the agreement, Salipro Biotech will receive research payments, option payments, and is eligible for downstream success-based milestone payments based on developmental results generated by BI under this collaboration.
Source: Salipro Biotec
