Fosun Pharma’s US$1.55 billion Eisai deal signals shift to long-term partnerships
The deal comes as Chinese novel drug makers are having more say in how their new medicines are developed with global partners
A unit of Fosun Pharma has struck a US$1.55 billion deal to license its home-grown cancer drug to Japan’s Eisai, adding to a wave of out-licensing agreements that are channelling billions of dollars into Chinese novel drug development.
Under the agreement signed on Thursday, Eisai will pay Shanghai Henlius Biotech, a subsidiary of Fosun Pharma, an upfront fee of US$75 million for exclusive rights to commercialise serplulimab – a monoclonal antibody used for the treatment of cancers – and co-exclusive rights to develop and manufacture the drug in Japan, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Henlius is conducting a phase two trial in Japan to test the drug’s effectiveness in small cell lung cancer and aims to file for approval in the coming year while also planning a separate study to see if it can help stomach cancer patients.