Early clinical and preclinical studies show that Hrs-9821 exhibits potent PDE3 and PDE4 inhibition leading to increased bronchodilation and anti-inflammatory effects. Alongside early test results, Hrs-9821 yields the ability to formulate a dry-powder inhaler that aligns with GSK’s established inhaled portfolio.
Additional benefits
Another crucial part of GSK’s and Hengrui’s agreement is the collaborative effort to generate upwards of 11 additional programs alongside Hrs-9821. Each individual program will have its own financial structure with Hengrui leading development until the completion of phase 1 trials including patients outside of China. Meanwhile, GSK will hold the exclusive option to continue the development and commercialization of each program worldwide, with exclusions in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
The collaboration exemplifies GSKs:
- Expertise in the therapy industry
- Deep rooted knowledge in disease biology
- Clinical development capabilities
- Global commercial scale
GSK will blend these capabilities with Hengrui Pharma’s early discovery engine, platform technologies, speed of clinical evaluations, and extensive pre-clinical pipeline of valuable programs to make the most of the collaboration, while furthering developments for COPD treatments.
Financial Implications
Agreed upon by both parties, GSK will pay an upfront fee of $500 million, including the license agreement for the Pde3/4 program, with the potential for the total value of the deal to reach an estimated $12 billion. For the deal to reach the estimated total, all programs must be optioned, and all milestones must be achieved. Hengrui Pharma will also be eligible for tiered royalties on global product net sales.
Frank Jiang, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Hengrui Pharma noted the importance of the agreement saying, "This strategic collaboration with GSK marks yet another significant milestone in Hengrui's globalization journey and our mission to innovate and deliver higher-quality, cutting-edge therapies for patients worldwide. GSK brings additional R&D expertise, a robust global clinical network, and broad regulatory capabilities that will accelerate our PDE3/4 inhibitor as well as an array of other innovative therapy programs to overseas markets, potentially delivering breakthrough treatments to patients globally." 1
Sources
Hengrui Pharma and GSK enter agreements to develop up to 12 innovative medicines across Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation and Oncology Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals July 27, 2025 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hengrui-pharma-and-gsk-enter-agreements-to-develop-up-to-12-innovative-medicines-across-respiratory-immunology--inflammation-and-oncology-302514566.html