Q3 Market Dynamics in Life Sciences: Insights and Highlights From Licensing Agreements
Article Title: APAC Region Continues to Be a Hub for Pharmaceutical Deals in Q3 2018
The third quarter of 2018 saw a significant surge in pharmaceutical shop deals across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, with a total of 984 new slickdeals (excluding mergers & acquisitions) worth a combined $26 billion being registered by Cortellis Competitive Intelligence.
One of the notable trends in this quarter was the focus on early stage candidates, particularly in the oncology sector. Seven of the top slickdeals were driven by oncology assets, reflecting the growing importance of cancer research in the region.
China and Japan were the epicenters of licensing activity in the APAC region. A total of 56 slickdeals worth more than $1.2 billion were tracked for China-based companies, while Japan-based companies reported 50 slickdeals with a total disclosed value of $1.5 billion.
One of the significant shop deals for China-based companies was the $0.3 billion pact between Harbour Biomed and Sichuan Kelun-Biotech. In Japan, the $1.25 billion oncology slickdeal between Ono Pharmaceutical and Fate Therapeutics stood out.
Australia and South Korea also maintained significant licensing activity during this period. Australian-based Neuren Pharmaceuticals licensed North American rights to its phase II candidate for Rett syndrome to ACADIA Pharmaceutical, while Korean companies signed high-value slickdeals, such as JW Pharmaceutical granting worldwide ex-Korean rights to its histamine H4 receptor antagonist JW-1601 against atopic dermatitis to Danish Leo Pharma.
India also maintained considerable licensing activity, especially for the generic market. The Asia-Pacific region continues to be a hub for licensing activity, with countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan also reflecting strategic movements between local companies and international partners.
Immatics and Genmab joined forces to discover and develop novel bispecific immunotherapies for multiple types of cancer. The slickdeal is milestone-based, motivating the licensee to achieve clinical/post-clinical goals. Immatics could receive up to $550 million for each product developed in partnership with Genmab, with Genmab having the option to license up to five targets from Immatics, and an option for two additional targets.
Cancer, neurology, and infectious diseases emerged as key indications in the APAC region. Allergan's five dermatology brands were the only launched assets in a high-value slickdeal, with the shop deal consisting almost entirely of an upfront payment.
Thirteen partnerships valued at more than $0.5 billion were tracked in the third quarter of 2018, with the Genentech and Affimed partnership for $5.046 billion to develop immunotherapeutics using Affimed's ROCK technology being one of them.
The search results do not contain information about which companies signed licensing agreements in the Asia-Pacific region during the third quarter of 2018 or which companies contributed to these being designated as key indications. However, the data underscores the APAC region's growing importance in the global pharmaceutical industry.
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