IR Licensing and Partnerships

From a $1.32 billion rare epilepsy acquisition to AI drug discovery partnerships, biotech IPOs, and a rare disease investment rebound — here's what moved the market this week.

Mereo BioPharma has granted Sentynl Therapeutics an exclusive option to commercialize alvelestat in the U.S. for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency-Associated Lung Disease.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals agrees to acquire Actio Biosciences for $820 million upfront plus up to $500 million in milestones for ABS-1230.

Novo Nordisk selects AWS as its preferred AI partner for drug discovery, Innate Pharma partners with Sobi, and Innovent Biologics secures exclusive commercialization rights for Vanflyta in China.

Tarsus Pharmaceuticals has agreed to acquire Alkeus Pharmaceuticals for $450 million, centering the deal on gildeuretinol.

In today's Pharmaceutical Executive Daily, Pathos AI signs licensing deals with Alphamab Oncology and AstraZeneca while Curium agrees to acquire Lantheus for up to $8 billion, Sandoz agrees to a $450 million settlement with 43 U.S. states over generic drug antitrust claims, and a new analysis argues real-time data analytics are essential to managing the growing data burden in clinical trials.

Pathos AI secured a $125 million upfront license to Alphamab's JSKN016 and a co-exclusive agreement with AstraZeneca to advance AZD4241, while Curium announced a deal to acquire Lantheus for up to $8 billion.

A potential combination would create the world's largest pharmaceutical company by revenue.

In today's Pharmaceutical Executive Daily, BioMarin and n-Lorem Foundation partner on the first disease-targeted therapy for the recently identified ReNU syndrome, a trio of biotech financings advance rare disease, sleep apnea, and oncology pipelines, and a Wharton professor offers career advice for MBA graduates navigating an AI-reshaped job market.

BioMarin and n-Lorem Foundation have partnered to develop the first ASO therapy targeting ReNU syndrome.

Oak Hill Bio secures $175 million through a SPAC combination with RA Capital, Apnimed set terms for a $150 million IPO, and CORE Biomedicine closes a $21 million Series A.

Argenx has agreed to acquire Forte Biosciences for approximately $2.2 billion, adding a first-in-class anti-CD122 antibody with clinical proof-of-concept in vitiligo and celiac disease.

Jasper Therapeutics has closed its all-stock acquisition of Kira Pharmaceuticals and raised $132 million in concurrent financing, combining a three-asset immunology pipeline.

Eli Lilly has agreed to acquire AtaiBeckley for up to $3.8 billion, adding a pipeline of neuroplastogen-based treatments.

AstraZeneca acquires global rights to approved EGFR exon 20 inhibitor Zegfrovy, Chai Discovery strikes an undisclosed AI antibody collaboration with Novartis, and Innovent Biologics licenses its CD40L antibody IBI355 to Spero Therapeutics.

Insilico Medicine has deepened its partnership with China Medical System Holdings with a second CNS-focused collaboration in three months, pairing Insilico's PandaOmics-identified mechanism with CMS's clinical and commercial infrastructure in a deal worth up to $177 million in milestones.

Chemomab and Scipher Medicine agreed to merge in an all-stock deal to advance an anti-CCL24 antibody into an AI-guided Phase II rheumatoid arthritis trial, while Teva struck a global licensing deal with Polpharma Biologics for exclusive commercialization rights to a proposed ocrelizumab biosimilar across major markets.

The acquisition adds Myricx’s NMTi ADC delivery platform to Novartis’ pipeline.

AlzeCure Pharma has licensed its NeuroRestore platform and lead CNS candidate ACD856 to QuantumCell ApS, following positive Phase Ib safety and pharmacokinetic data.

Zymeworks and Ipsen each announced acquisitions this week, with Zymeworks paying roughly $929 million for Theravance Biopharma to gain commercial COPD royalties and tax assets, and Ipsen committing up to $1.75 billion for Kartos Therapeutics to add navtemadlin.

Biogen has agreed to acquire private immunology biotech RayThera for up to $1 billion, adding a suite of undisclosed small molecule anti-inflammatory candidates to its pipeline.

Protillion Biosciences and AbCellera each secured platform-based drug discovery deals this week, with Protillion partnering with Merck on multi-target protein engineering in a deal worth up to $510 million and Jazz Pharmaceuticals committing up to $84 million upfront to AbCellera for T-cell engaging multispecific antibodies in gastrointestinal cancers.

AlzeCure Pharma has licensed Alzheimer's candidate ACD680 to Eli Lilly in a deal worth potentially more than $1 billion, adding an oral gamma-secretase modulator that targets amyloid production upstream to Lilly's Alzheimer's portfolio.

GSK has agreed to acquire Nuvalent in a deal that secures two next-generation NSCLC inhibitors under active FDA review with potential year-end launches.

With more than $43 billion committed in five months, the pharma industry isn't just licensing from China, it's restructuring where global drug discovery begins.