Gilead Sciences has secured another synthetic lethal therapy, handing over $80 million upfront for the global rights to a clinic-ready cancer drug from China’s Genhouse Bio.
The Suzhou-based biotech has been developing the MAT2A-targetting synthetic lethal therapy, dubbed GH31, for various tumor types. Genhouse has already secured the nod from regulators in both China and the U.S. to take GH31 into clinical trials.
As well as the upfront payment, Genhouse will be in line for up to $1.45 billion in milestone payments as well as royalties based on tiered double-digit percentages on net sales. Genhouse first announced the deal in a post on Chinese social media platform WeChat on Friday, and Gilead later shared the details with Fierce.
Jackson Egen, Ph.D., senior vice president of oncology research at Gilead, said acquiring GH31 reflected the pharma’s “disciplined approach to expanding Gilead’s oncology pipeline through innovative science and strong partnerships.”
Genhouse CEO Kuifeng Wang, Ph.D., said Gilead was “ideally suited” to maximize GH31’s “global potential for patients.”
“This transaction represents a significant value-realization milestone for Genhouse and highlights the global attractiveness of our synthetic lethality innovation,” the CEO added. “With IND clearance in hand, GH31 is well positioned for rapid clinical advancement.”
As well as MAT2A, Genhouse’s pipeline of clinical and preclinical tumor drugs includes therapies targeting the likes of PRMT5i, DHX9i and HDAC6i.
Gilead acquired another synthetic lethal therapy at the end of December, paying $25 million upfront for the rights to Repare Therapeutics' polymerase theta ATPase inhibitor.
The acquisition of more oncology assets comes as Gilead CEO Daniel O’Day told journalists at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference last month that the company is approaching dealmaking from a “position of strength” in 2026.
“We hold the bar very high scientifically,” the CEO explained at a media event on the sidelines of the conference. “We have the financial ability to bring in important medicines in the organization, but they’ve got to fit our strategy, and they have to really have a significant patient impact.”
When it comes to oncology—one of Gilead’s three priority areas—the company’s chief medical officer Dietmar Berger, M.D., Ph.D., said at the same event that he wanted to “drive that a little more into direct tumor cell targeting,” while taking advantage of Gilead’s antibody-drug conjugate platform and relationship with cell therapy subsidiary Kite Pharma.
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