License to Pill: AstraZeneca gains cancer antibodies, sells inhaler therapies

AstraZeneca PLC's licensing of a selection of monoclonal antibodies from Integral Molecular Inc. was one of two deals involving the British pharmaceutical giant between Oct. 23 and Nov. 5.

The Cambridge, U.K.-based company entered into an exclusive worldwide license to develop cancer-targeting antibody therapeutics discovered with Philadelphia-based Integral Molecular. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

AstraZeneca also transferred the global rights to its respiratory inhaler medicines Eklira — marketed as Tudorza in the U.S. — and Duaklir to Covis Pharma B.V. for $270 million. The privately-owned Dutch company previously bought three asthma and rhinitis drugs from AstraZeneca in 2018.

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG agreed to pay privately owned British biopharma company Dunad Therapeutics Ltd. $24 million as an up-front payment and equity investment to license up to four drugs from a collaboration to develop orally bioavailable covalent and protein-degrading small molecule drugs.

Fellow Basel, Switzerland-based company Roche Holding AG announced a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Malvern, Penn.-based Venatorx Pharmaceuticals Inc. to develop a new class of antibiotics that would be effective against superbugs.

Merck & Co. Inc. will make an undisclosed up-front payment and potentially $525 million in milestone payments to Synthekine Inc. to license cytokine agonists — which act on the cytokine proteins that control immune cells — for use against autoimmune disorders.

Germany's Merck KGaA secured the option to license Chicago-based Xeris Biopharma Holdings Inc.'s injection formulation technology to administer monoclonal antibodies. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Boston-based biotech Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. will make up-front payments to Mammoth Biosciences, Inc. of $41 million — including an investment in the form of a convertible note — to use the South San Francisco, Calif.-based company's gene-editing systems to develop therapies for two genetic diseases.

Canadian biotech Aptose Biosciences Inc. paid Hanmi Pharm. Co. Ltd. $12.5 million up front in cash and shares for the exclusive worldwide license to the South Korean company's investigational leukemia therapy HM43239.

Another South Korean company, Curacle Co. Ltd., will receive $6 million up front from privately owned French biotech Thea Open Innovation to license CU06-RE, a drug that the companies said has the potential to become the first orally administered treatment for the eye conditions diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration.