Fierce Pharma Asia—Lilly's AI drug design deal; Celltrion's autoimmune pact; China to lift Illumina ban

Eli Lilly expanded its artificial intelligence drug discovery pact with XtalPi to antibodies. Celltrion in-licensed two innovative autoimmune candidates. China will lift its import ban on Illumina's DNA sequencers. And more.

1. Lilly inks $345M antibody development pact with XtalPi subsidiary

Eli Lilly is tapping the artificial-intelligence-powered drug discovery capabilities of China’s XtalPi to make new antibodies. Lilly will pay an XtalPi unit up to $345 million to design bispecific antibodies based on the U.S. pharma’s target selections. Through a 2023 deal, Lilly previously hired XtalPi to discover small-molecule drugs.

2. Celltrion looks beyond biosimilars with $744M pact for 2 preclinical autoimmune drugs

Korean biosimilar specialist Celltrion signed a licensing deal worth up to $740 million with U.S. biotech Kaigene for two preclinical autoimmune assets: an FcRn inhibitor and a dual-acting antibody that “selectively degrades disease-specific autoantibodies and simultaneously suppresses disease-specific B cells.”

3. Illumina shares rise as China set to lift sequencer export ban

Chinese authorities will lift an import ban on Illumina’s DNA sequencers Nov. 10, the company said in its third-quarter report. The Chinese government previously stopped Illumina from selling the machines inside the country amid the heightened U.S.-China tariff battle. Illumina remains on the Unreliable Entities List, which requires government approval for China-related trade.

4. AstraZeneca adds $136M investment to Chinese inhalants plant

AstraZeneca is doubling down on its new inhalants production base in Qingdao, China. The British pharma is adding another $136 million, bringing its total investment at the site to $886 million. The latest funds will further beef up the site’s production capacity of inhaled aerosols against respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, AZ said in a Nov. 5 release.

5. AstraZeneca CEO: 'We can absorb the impact' of drug pricing deal with Trump

Daiichi Sankyo-partnered Enhertu helped drive a revenue beat for AstraZeneca. During the third quarter, the HER2-targeted antibody-drug conjugate generated $1.29 billion in global sales. The drug is awaiting important market expansions into first-line treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer and potentially early-stage disease.

6. Merck writes tale of 2 checks, bagging $700M from Blackstone and spending $150M to regain asset

Merck has secured $700 million from Blackstone Life Sciences to fund some clinical development costs of Kelun-Biotech’s TROP2 ADC sacituzumab tirumotecan (sac-TMT). In exchange, Merck will pay Blackstone low- to mid-single-digit royalties on the drug’s future sales in its marketing territory. Merck recently began its 15th global phase 3 trial of the ADC.

Other News of Note:

7. Amgen halts gastric cancer trial after antibody 'did not meet our standard' of efficacy, exec says

8. 4DMT eyes $420M deal from Otsuka, with cash aimed at retinal gene therapy's phase 3 plans

9. Novartis’ radioligand therapy Pluvicto approved in China for bladder cancer (Release, Chinese)

10. Sun Pharma’s US innovative drug sales surpass generics for the first time (Economic Times)