Adlai Nortye Biopharma Co. Ltd.’s $100 million series D financing in July threw new light on the enticing prospect of targeting EP4 in prostaglandin (PGE2)-driven cancers, and a number of players are lined up in the space.
Following an interim analysis of phase III gastric cancer data, Innovent Biologics Inc. said it’s planning to seek an expanded label the company’s Eli Lilly and Co.-partnered PD-1 inhibitor, Tyvyt (sintilimab), in the indication. According to Innovent, a combination of the drug with chemotherapy met the primary endpoint of overall survival in the study, delivering a statistically significant improvement in the measure vs. placebo, also with chemotherapy.
Innocare Pharma Ltd. has signed a licensing agreement with Incyte Corp. for the exclusive rights to the monoclonal antibody Monjuvi (tafasitamab) for hematology and oncology indications in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Under the terms of the deal, Innocare will pay Incyte an up-front fee of $35 million, as well as up to $82.5 million in potential development, regulatory and commercial milestones and tiered royalties.
Seagen Inc. and Remegen Co. Ltd. will collaborate to exclusively develop and commercialize disitamab vedotin, a humanized antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting HER2, giving Remegen the chance to earn up to $2.4 billion in total milestone payments.
Schrödinger Inc. has paired up with Zai Lab Ltd. to collaborate on an oncology program targeting DNA damage response (DDR) in a deal that could net Schrödinger up to $338 million.
Astrazeneca plc and Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. are pushing forward with a challenge to Roche Holding AG with breast cancer drug Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) after it demonstrated superiority over the Swiss firm’s Kadcyla (trastuzumab emtansine) in a head-to-head trial.
Akeso Inc. became the fifth company to score an approval for a homegrown PD-1 antibody in China, with penpulimab cleared for relapsed or refractory (r/r) classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL).
Burning Rock Biotech Ltd. has formed a global strategic partnership with Impact Therapeutics Inc. to develop companion diagnostics for a pipeline of drugs in the field of synthetic lethality.
Cell therapy company Zhuhai Grit Biotechnology Inc. completed a series A+ financing of undisclosed value to advance its lead tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) program, GT-101 for advanced solid tumors, into the clinic by year end while also developing other TIL candidates in its pipeline.
Hutchmed Ltd. has struck a deal for Epizyme Inc.’s anticancer therapy Tazverik (tazemetostat) that could bring the latter up to $310 million. The agreement gives Hutchmed rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize Tazverik in greater China, which covers mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
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