Boehringer Ingelheim, headquartered in Germany, and China-based Sino Biopharmaceutical (together with its subsidiaries, SBP Group) have announced a strategic multi-programme option and license agreement to advance potential next-generation cancer treatments based on antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and T-cell engager (TcE) technologies.
Deepening the companies’ existing partnership in oncology, the new agreement combines SBP Group’s innovative platforms and early-development capabilities with Boehringer Ingelheim’s global oncology expertise to advance new treatment approaches for patients worldwide.
Cancer remains one of the world’s greatest health challenges, with approximately 20.6 million new cases and close to 10 million deaths annually. ADCs are designed to deliver potent therapeutic agents more selectively to cancer cells, while T-cell engagers are designed to activate and direct immune cells to eradicate cancer cells, offering complementary approaches to treating cancer.
Boehringer Ingelheim is building a broad and differentiated oncology portfolio spanning cancer cell-directed therapies and immuno-oncology. Its recently opened China R&D Centre in Shanghai expands early clinical development and external innovation capabilities, connecting innovation in China with its global R&D network.
The collaboration covers six biologic pre-clinical programmes. Five of these center on LaNova Medicines (Shanghai), a wholly owned SBP Group subsidiary. The remaining programme comes from Beijing Tide Pharmaceutical, another SBP Group subsidiary.
Under the agreement, SBP Group will undertake early development. After agreed clinical milestones are reached, Boehringer Ingelheim may exercise options for exclusive development, manufacturing and commercialisation rights: outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau for four programs, and worldwide for the remaining two programmes.
SBP Group will receive upfront and near-term payments of $358 million and is eligible to receive potential option-exercise, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments of $7 billion as well as tiered royalties on potential future product sales.
