License to Pill: Biotech and pharma deals from May 22-June 4

Amgen Inc.'s $400 million payment for an atopic dermatitis therapy was the largest up-front fee of the licensing deals struck in the final week of May and first week of June.

As part of the agreement to jointly develop and commercialize KHK4083, a monoclonal antibody that also has potential for other autoimmune diseases, Tokyo-based Kyowa Kirin Co. Ltd. is eligible to receive up to $850 million in milestone payments from Amgen.

Novo Nordisk A/S signed its own deal with a Tokyo-based pharma company, Heartseed Inc., to gain the exclusive license to experimental heart failure treatment HS-001 outside of Japan, as well as co-commercialize the drug within the country. Heartseed will be eligible for payments totaling up to $598 million in relation to the investigational cell therapy, which has a phase 1/2 trial planned for later this year.

Roche Holding AG unit Genentech Inc. agreed to pay Pieris Pharmaceuticals Inc. $20 million up front to discover and commercialize respiratory and ophthalmology therapies that leverage Pieris' proprietary Anticalin technology. Boston-based biotech Pieris is also eligible to receive up to $1.5 billion in milestone payments across multiple programs.

Meanwhile, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. secured nonexclusive access to Xencor Inc.'s Xtend Fc technology to extend the half-life of a novel antibody combination therapy that is intended to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus, for which the Monrovia, Calif.-based biotech will be eligible for royalties on any related products.

The U.K.'s AstraZeneca PLC signed an agreement with Proteros biostructures GmbH to develop novel small molecules targeting various types of cancer, for which the German biotech will be eligible for up to €62 million in milestone payments.

The deal between Chinese biotechs Innovent Biologics Inc. and AnHeart Therapeutics Inc. also centered around a cancer drug, namely AnHeart's taletrectinib, for which Innovent obtained the exclusive rights to co-develop and commercialize in Greater China.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its partner AbbVie Inc. granted Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. a license to market a 72-microgram generic version of irritable bowel syndrome drug Linzess in the U.S. from 2029, subject to regulatory approval.