科伦博泰与“前员工”和解,宜联生物付出6条ADC管线授权及销售分成

Core Viewpoint - The long-standing dispute between Kolon Biotech (科伦博泰) and its former executive team has been resolved through a settlement agreement, which includes sharing future revenues from key ADC (antibody-drug conjugate) pipelines developed by Yilian Biopharma (宜联生物) [1][2]. Group 1: Dispute Background - The dispute began in 2020 when key executives left Kolon Biotech to establish Yilian Biopharma, escalating to criminal charges and civil lawsuits regarding "trade secret infringement" by 2024-2025 [1]. - The former executives involved include Xue Tongtong, who was the General Manager at Kolon Biotech, and other key figures who played significant roles in drug development and commercialization [3]. Group 2: Settlement Details - The settlement agreement stipulates that Yilian Biopharma will share a portion of the revenues and net profits from six core ADC pipelines with Kolon Biotech, which have been developed using the TMALIN platform [1][5]. - The specific ADC pipelines mentioned include YL201, YL202, YL211, YL212, YL221, and YL222, with YL201 currently in Phase III clinical trials for small cell lung cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma [5]. Group 3: Financial Implications - YL202 was licensed to BioNTech for a $70 million upfront payment, with potential total payments exceeding $1 billion [5]. - YL211's global exclusive rights were granted to Roche for an upfront payment of $50 million, along with nearly $1 billion in potential milestone payments based on future sales [6]. Group 4: Strategic Insights - The settlement reflects a significant shift in Yilian Biopharma's operational strategy, which has focused on an authorization model for survival, necessitating the sharing of revenue as a cost of resolving the dispute [7].