In an interview with the Financial Times, Luke Miels, Chief Commercial Officer of UK-based GlaxoSmithKline (GSK; NYSE: GSK), highlighted China as a key source of innovative molecules for licensing agreements. Miels attributes this trend to China’s robust chemistry capabilities and the willingness of local companies to out-license their rights: “You can find molecules in China, and often the Chinese companies just want the domestic rights, allowing for negotiations to take it global.”
This year, GSK has inked two significant agreements with Chinese firms. In October, the company partnered with Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical for the ex-China rights to develop a B7-H4-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), with total payment commitments exceeding $1.5 billion. Additionally, GSK selected Chongqing’s Zhifei Biological Co., Ltd. to serve as the distributor for its shingles vaccine, with plans to potentially expand this partnership to include GSK’s respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in the future.
Miels, who joined GSK in 2017 after serving as executive vice-president at AstraZeneca (AZ, NASDAQ: AZN) for Global Product and Portfolio Strategy, emphasized that GSK remains vigilant for new deals, anticipating that 2024 will mirror this year’s deal-making activity. In 2023, GSK signed five major agreements, including the $2 billion acquisition of Canadian respiratory drug company Bellus Health, three licensing agreements—including that with Hansoh—and the partnership with Zhifei.- Flcube.com
