GSK signed a 12-asset licensing deal with Hengrui Pharma. Generic erosion on Vyvanse continued to hurt Takeda. Celltrion is nearing the purchase of a large U.S. facility to help mitigate the impact of tariffs. And more.
1. GSK strengthens COPD offering via $12B biobucks, 12-program deal with China's Hengrui Pharma
GSK has inked a large licensing deal with China’s Hengrui Pharma covering up to 12 assets. The British pharma is gaining a PDE3/4 inhibitor currently in clinical development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as options to take over 11 other programs once Hengrui completes its phase 1 trials. The deal includes $500 million upfront and up to $12 billion biobucks.
2. Takeda wades through more Vyvanse declines, muses DTC model as US pricing uncertainty looms
Takeda’s quarterly revenues from April to June sank 8.4% year over year to 1.1 trillion yen ($7.3 billion), partly because of the generic erosion of the company’s ADHD med Vyvanse. Still, Takeda's CFO said the hit was expected as the firm maintained its full-year 2025 outlook. Meanwhile, Takeda is considering applying a direct-to-consumer model for some of its drugs, U.S. business head and CEO-to-be Julie Kim said.
Celltrion is nearing a deal to buy a large-scale drug substance plant in the U.S. from an undisclosed global pharma, Reuters reports. The Korean company plans to invest about $504 million in the acquisition and operation of the facility, CEO Seo Jung-Jin said during an event. In a letter to shareholders, Celltrion referred to the biologics plant acquisition as “a fundamental solution to the tariff issue.”
4. Madrigal pens $2B pact for CSPC's preclinical GLP-1 with eye on Rezdiffra MASH pairing
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals is paying $120 million upfront for a preclinical GLP-1 receptor agonist from China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical. The plan is to pair the drug, dubbed SYH2086, with Madrigal’s Rezdiffra, which last year became the first FDA-approved therapy for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. The deal includes up to $2 billion in milestones.
5. Instil's licensed PD-L1xVEGF bispecific shows promise in China, instilling hope for upcoming US test
ImmuneOnco Biopharmaceuticals’ PD-L1xVEGF bispecific IMM2510, used together with chemotherapy, induced partial responses in 62% of first-line patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer enrolled in a China phase 2 trial. Responses were seen in eight of 10 squamous patients and five of 11 nonsquamous patients. Instil Bio recently got the FDA’s approval to test the drug in a phase 1b/2 trial in the U.S.
Other News of Note:
6. Sun Pharma, Taro agree to $200M settlement in generics price-fixing litigation
7. Chinese antibody developer Leads Biolabs hits Hong Kong stock exchange in $189M IPO
8. J&J, Legend crunch the multiple myeloma numbers in first Carvykti TV ad
9. Olympus forms build-to-buy GI robotics startup with Revival Healthcare Capital
10. Kissei pays Viridian $70M to challenge Amgen for Japanese eye disease market