Core Viewpoint - Zenas BioSciences has entered into a transformative global licensing agreement worth over $2 billion with InnoCare Pharma, acquiring rights to three autoimmune disease drug candidates, including the previously abandoned BTK inhibitor orelabrutinib, indicating a growing trend of collaboration between multinational pharmaceutical companies and Chinese biotech firms [3][5][6]. Group 1: Financial Details - The agreement includes an initial payment of $100 million in cash, with additional milestone payments expected in the following year. Zenas will also issue up to 7 million shares of common stock to InnoCare, contingent on achieving specific milestones by early 2026 [6]. - InnoCare will receive milestone payments throughout the development, registration, and commercialization phases of the three drugs, with the total value of the agreement potentially exceeding $2 billion. Additionally, InnoCare will earn a tiered royalty rate of "high teens" (approximately 15%-19%) on the annual net sales of these drugs [6]. Group 2: Key Drug Candidates - The core asset of the deal is orelabrutinib, an oral BTK inhibitor capable of penetrating the central nervous system, which is crucial for treating multiple sclerosis (MS). This drug was previously licensed to Biogen, which terminated the agreement in early 2023 [8]. - Orelabrutinib is currently approved in China for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma, and it is in Phase III clinical trials globally for primary progressive MS, with plans for a late-stage global trial to start in Q1 2026 [8]. - In addition to orelabrutinib, Zenas has acquired two other drug candidates: obexelimab, a monoclonal antibody targeting B cells for various autoimmune diseases, and an oral IL-17AA/AF inhibitor, along with a brain-penetrating oral TYK2 inhibitor, both of which are still in early development stages [8][9].
暴涨24.22%！Zenas 砸 20 亿美元牵手 InnoCare，押注自身免疫病新药 能否成功？