Flurry of Acquisitions and Licensing Deals Come Amid JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2025

Image Credit: Adobe Stock Images/Katerina

With the start of the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, several new deals have been announced by a number of pharma companies.

Already on Monday, Johnson & Johnson announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Intra-Cellular Therapies for $14.6 billion, while GSK announced it had come to terms with IDRx to acquire the company for up to $1.15 billion.

Gilead

Gilead agreed to terms on a strategic partnership with LEO Pharma to accelerate the development and commercialization of STAT6, LEO’s small molecule oral program for treating patients with inflammatory diseases. Under terms of the deal, Gilead will acquire preclinical oral STAT6 small molecule inhibitors and targeted protein degraders, and will lead development for oral programs. LEO will work to develop possible topical formulations.¹

“As we continue to expand our inflammation portfolio, we're committed to developing next-generation therapies to support long-term remission in patients with inflammatory diseases through mechanisms that block major pathogenic pathways, eliminate pathogenic cells, tolerize the immune system, and restore cell function,” said Flavius Martin, MD, EVP, research, Gilead Sciences, in a press release. “By partnering with LEO Pharma, we hope to explore the potential of the STAT6 pathway to bring forward an oral option for patients suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions.”

Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly announced that it has agreed to terms with Scorpion Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing small molecule precision oncology therapies, to acquire STX-478, Scorpion’s inhibitor program for breast cancer and other advanced solid tumors. Under terms of the deal, holders of Scorpion shares could have the potential to receive up to $2.5 billion, including an upfront payment and additional milestone and regulatory royalties. Additionally, Lilly will acquire the rights to the Scorpion brand while Scorpion itself will become a brand-new entity in order to hold its employees and non-PI3Kα pipeline assets.²

"PI3Kα mutations occur in a meaningful proportion of hormone-positive breast cancers, and there is significant unmet need for new treatment options that effectively and safely target this pathway," said Jacob Van Naarden, EVP, president, Lilly Oncology, in a press release. "The selectivity profile of STX-478 has led to a differentiated clinical profile, enabling use in combinations with standard-of-care therapies to potentially deliver meaningful impact in earlier treatment settings when there is the best opportunity to improve outcomes for patients. We look forward to leveraging the great work of the Scorpion team to date, along with Lilly's deep expertise in breast cancer, to further advance STX-478 with speed and focus."

AbbVie

AbbVie and Simcere Zaiming announced a license agreement to develop SIM0500, an investigational new drug candidate for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Currently, the treatment is in Phase I clinical trials in both the United States and China. Under terms of the agreement, Simcere Zaiming will receive an upfront payment, with the potential to receive up to $1,055 billion in option fees and milestone payments.³

"SIM0500 is developed via Simcere Zaiming's proprietary T-cell engager platform," said Renhong Tang, PhD, CEO, Simcere Zaiming, in a press release. "We are excited to partner with AbbVie on this novel drug candidate and look forward to working together to advance the clinical development of SIM0500."

Rappta Therapeutics

Rappta Therapeutics announced an exclusive global license agreement with SpringWorks Therapeutics to develop RPT04402, a potential molecular glue of specific protein phosphatase 2A complexes for anti-cancer drugs. Under terms of the agreement, SpringWorks will spearhead global development and commercialization, with Rappta receiving an upfront payment of $13 million. Additionally, Rappta is eligible for clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments.⁴

"Our team at Rappta Therapeutics has been able to leverage our proprietary structural data to develop a first-in-class series of molecular glues to the previously undruggable tumor suppressor PP2A. We are excited to be able to work with SpringWorks to potentially translate this approach to the clinic with the hope that this approach will have broad applications for the treatment of human cancers,” said Goutham Narla, chief scientific officer, Rappta Therapeutics, in a press release.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca reached a license agreement with Synthego, a supplier of CRISPR solutions. According to Synthego, the deal enabled the company to manufacture and distribute AstraZeneca’s eSpOT-ON, a novel gene editing enzyme. Under terms of the deal, Synthego will receive exclusive commercialization rights, with plans to pair eSpOT-ON with its gRNA.⁵

"Our agreement with AstraZeneca is a testament to our commitment to guiding researchers with customized CRISPR solutions that empower their therapeutic pursuits," said Craig Christianson, CEO, Synthego, in a press release. "By enhancing our CRISPR expertise with AstraZeneca's novel nuclease, we are poised to expedite the development of transformative therapies, paving a streamlined and accelerated path to clinical advancement."

Helix

Helix and Komodo Health have announced a partnership aimed at improving Helix’s clinico-genomic datasets within its research network. According to the company, the collaboration will implement medical, pharmacy, and mortality data from Komodo's Healthcare Map.⁶

"Augmenting Helix data with Komodo's Healthcare Map will enable partner researchers to explore additional insights into medication usage, treatment adherence, and total cost of care across large populations in a wide array of conditions," said James Lu, MD, PhD, CEO, co-founder, Helix, in a press release. "Our partnership with Komodo demonstrates Helix's commitment to increasing the depth of our datasets and supporting all stages of the drug development lifecycle."

Participants in HRN consent to allow their clinico-genomic information to be used for research purposes alongside other insights like Komodo's Healthcare Map. The Helix dataset is de-identified to protect the privacy of participants.

References

1. Gilead and LEO Pharma Enter Into Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Development of Oral STAT6 Program With Potential in Multiple Inflammatory Diseases. Gilead. January 11, 2025. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.gilead.com/news/news-details/2025/gilead-and-leo-pharma-enter-into-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-development-of-oral-stat6-program-with-potential-in-multiple-inflammatory-diseases

2. Lilly to acquire Scorpion Therapeutics' mutant-selective PI3Kα inhibitor program. PR Newswire. January 13, 2025. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lilly-to-acquire-scorpion-therapeutics-mutant-selective-pi3k-inhibitor-program-302349242.html

3. Simcere Zaiming and AbbVie Announce Partnership to Develop a Novel Trispecific Antibody Candidate in Multiple Myeloma. PR Newswire. January 13, 2025. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simcere-zaiming-and-abbvie-announce-partnership-to-develop-a-novel-trispecific-antibody-candidate-in-multiple-myeloma-302349311.html

4. Rappta Therapeutics enters into a global license agreement with SpringWorks Therapeutics for a pre-clinical first-in-class molecular glue targeting PP2A. PR Newswire. January 13, 2025. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rappta-therapeutics-enters-into-a-global-license-agreement-with-springworks-therapeutics-for-a-pre-clinical-first-in-class-molecular-glue-targeting-pp2a-302348210.html

5. Synthego Signs Strategic Agreement with AstraZeneca to License CRISPR Gene Editing Enzyme. PR Newswire. January 13, 2025. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/synthego-signs-strategic-agreement-with-astrazeneca-to-license-crispr-gene-editing-enzyme-302347540.html

6. Helix Partners with Komodo Health, Combining Helix's Clinico-Genomic Datasets with Komodo's Healthcare Map® for Clinical & Research Impact. PR Newswire. January 13, 2025. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/helix-partners-with-komodo-health-combining-helixs-clinico-genomic-datasets-with-komodos-healthcare-map-for-clinical--research-impact-302348850.html