Another Chinese foray for GSK

Having got a taste of China-originated molecules via two separate deals with Hansoh, GSK on Monday struck a third Chinese tie-up, this time with Jiangsu HengRui. The latest deal mainly focuses on respiratory disease, but it also includes future options over another 11 projects, currently at the preclinical stage, in areas including oncology. For HengRui this is another important endorsement; in March the company tied up with Merck & Co over a cardiometabolic disease project, while in oncology its biggest western pharma validation until now was a 2023 deal with Germany's Merck KGaA over the PARP1 inhibitor HRS-1167/M9466 and a Claudin18.2-targeting ADC, garetatug rezetecan. The GSK/HengRui deal's headline up-front value of $500m relates to a respiratory disease asset, which incidentally uses the same mechanism as one developed by Verona Pharma, the company Merck & Co bought this month for $10bn, but the oncology work covers currently undisclosed assets that are still preclinical, and into which GSK can opt once HengRui completes phase 1 trials. As OncologyPipeline reveals, these might involve bispecific ADCs against hot industry targets. GSK's deals with Hansoh concern the ADCs risvutatug rezetecan (anti-B7-H3) and mocertatug rezetecan (B7-H4).

Jiangsu HengRui's recent preclinical oncology work

Source: OncologyPipeline.