Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) announced separate licensing and research agreements with South Korea-based Hanmi Pharm and China-based Haisco Pharmaceutical Group, expanding its access to new drug candidates and discovery programs.
The deals come as investors also evaluate positive Phase 3 data for Lilly's cancer therapy Retevmo, even as the stock traded lower in Monday's premarket session.
Lilly Acquires Global Rights To Hanmi's Sonefpeglutide
Hanmi said it entered a licensing agreement with Lilly covering the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of sonefpeglutide, a biologic drug candidate based on its proprietary LAPSCOVERY long-acting technology platform.
The candidate is being evaluated for its potential to promote intestinal growth, reduce inflammation, and support regeneration of the intestinal mucosa. Hanmi is currently conducting a global Phase 2 trial in patients with short bowel syndrome.
Under the agreement, Hanmi will continue the ongoing Phase 2 study through completion, while Lilly will evaluate additional clinical development opportunities for the therapy.
Lilly received exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize sonefpeglutide outside Korea.
Hanmi will receive a $75 million upfront payment and could earn up to $1.185 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, along with royalties if the product reaches the market.
Haisco And Lilly Launch Multi-Program Research Alliance
Separately, Haisco Pharmaceutical announced a licensing and research collaboration with Lilly focused on developing medicines across multiple therapeutic areas.
Haisco will identify and advance up to five innovative target programs, while Lilly will oversee IND-enabling studies, clinical development, and commercialization efforts.
The agreement grants Lilly exclusive worldwide rights to certain programs and rights outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan for others. Haisco will retain rights within those territories for selected programs.
The collaboration marks the first partnership between the two companies. Haisco said it could receive up to $87 million in upfront and near-term payments, as well as up to $2.967 billion in downstream milestone payments and tiered single-digit royalties on future sales.
Retevmo Trial Results Highlighted
Meanwhile, Lilly shared results from the Phase 3 LIBRETTO-432 trial.
The study showed that Retevmo (selpercatinib) reduced the risk of disease recurrence or death by 83% in patients with early-stage RET fusion-positive lung cancer.
The trial enrolled 151 patients and demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in event-free survival compared with placebo.
LLY Price Action: Eli Lilly shares were down 2.73% at $1074.85 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Photo: Michael Vi / Shutterstock
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