In three deals each worth $2 billion or more, AstraZeneca is investing in Summit Therapeutics with a focus on ivonescimab and Novo bought a preclinical GLP-1/GIP drug from Hengrui Pharma, while Merck & Co. got a preclinical RAS(ON) inhibitor from China's SciBrunch. And more.
1. AstraZeneca scales Summit’s PD-1xVEGF strategy with $2B investment to fuel ADC combos
AstraZeneca is investing $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics to bankroll the development of Akeso’s PD-1xVEGF bispecific ivonescimab. Besides a 12% stake in Summit, AZ also gets to pair ivonescimab with its CLDN18.2-directed antibody-drug conjugate sonesitatug vedotin. Following the announcement, AZ unveiled additional plans to combine its Daiichi Sankyo-partnered TROP2 ADC, Datroway, with ivonescimab, across multiple tumor types, including lung and breast cancers.
2. Novo agrees $2.6B deal for preclinical GLP-1/GIP drug from in-demand Hengrui
Novo is paying a hefty $300 million upfront for a preclinical GLP-1/GIP dual receptor agonist by Hengrui Pharma. The deal’s total value could reach $2.6 billion. Hengrui designed the candidate for once-weekly oral dosing and has secured the green light to begin clinical trials in China. Chinese rights are not included in the Novo deal.
3. Merck pens $2.1B deal with China’s SciBrunch to chase KRAS G12D
In another large upfront payment for a preclinical asset, Merck & Co. has agreed to pay $400 million for a KRAS G12D(ON) inhibitor from China’s SciBrunch. The deal could eventually be worth $2.13 billion across “multiple indications,” Merck said. The New Jersey pharma has a phase 3 KRAS G12C(OFF) candidate, calderasib.
4. Merck, Daiichi pull lung cancer filing after FDA pushback deals another blow to $4B deal
Meanwhile, Merck and its partner Daiichi have pulled the application for their B7-H3-directed ADC, ifinatamab deruxtecan, after the FDA said they lacked the data for accelerated approval in previously treated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. The withdrawal marks another setback for the partnership after they rescinded a submission for their HER3-directed ADC last year.
5. Hansoh’s Tagrisso rival loses EU approval after AstraZeneca legal challenge
The European Commission has revoked the EU approval for Hansoh Pharma’s EGFR inhibitor Aumseqa after AstraZeneca sued the agency before the General Court of the EU. The move came after the European Medicines Agency determined that Hansoh improperly relied on AZ’s Tagrisso trial data, which were still under protection at the time of the application.
6. Beam Therapeutics sues base-editing rival, claims former scientist stole secrets
RA Capital Management and RTW Investments’ NewCo deal that created Serapha Bio earlier this year has drawn a lawsuit. Beam Therapeutics is accusing its former employee Zi Jun (Emma) Wang, Ph.D., of stealing trade secrets to found YolTech Therapeutics, the Chinese startup that licensed its rival base editing therapy to form Serapha.
Other News of Note:
7. US details rules for 0% specialty pharmaceutical tariff exemptions
8. Taiho scores phase 3 win with oral cancer combo for AML-causing blood disorders
9. White House lays groundwork to reshore production of 86 essential medicines
10. Eli Lilly's new initiative will take GLP-1s to lower-income nations
11. Asahi Kasei wraps years of global dealmaking into a single brand
12. Takeda, Innovent expand IL-2/PD-1 bispecific trial in NSCLC (release)
13. India’s Sun Pharma plans $1 billion local debt sale for loan takeout, sources say (Reuters)
14. Tolerance Bio licenses IL-33 antibody from Tanabe Pharma (release)
15. Chugai licenses RAF-MEK molecular glue to InxMed (release)
16. Sun Pharma gains Lib’s PCSK9 drug outside US, China (release)
17. AZ submits Hutchmed-partnered lung cancer drug Orpathys to FDA (release)
18. Grünenthal taps Dk to bring 4 pain meds to 8 Asian markets (release)
19. Kyowa Kirin grants Knight Therapeutics Poteligeo rights in Latin America (release)