GSK and Hengrui Pharma Team Up to Develop 12 New Medicines, Starting with COPD Treatment

GSK and Hengrui Pharma’s Collaboration for Drug Development

Announcement

Hengrui Pharma signed an agreement with GSK plc to develop 12 innovative medicines in addition to Hengrui’s primary value to the effective globalized strategy and GSK's new growth opportunities through 2031. The programmes were chosen to highlight GSK’s expanded respiratory, immunology and inflammation (RI&I) and oncology space and preach for their capable best-in-class profiles. Hengrui will receive $500 million from GSK as upfront fees through the agreements. This agreement between two strong leading pharma’s will expand and proceed to the global drug development across the healthcare market.

Agreement

The agreement involves an exclusive global license (excluding mainland Hong Kong SAR, China, Taiwan, and Macau SAR region) for a PDE3/4 inhibitor (HRS-9821) in clinical development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment as an additional maintenance treatment regardless of background/type of therapy. The HRS-9821 contributes largely to GSK’s ambition to provide treatment to patients through the broad spectrum of COPD by consisting of one group that continues to experience dyspnoea (shortness of breath) or the other group who are unfortunate to receive biologics or inhaled corticosteroids, respectively, to their disease profile. The agreement includes a significant scaled partnership to create around 11 programmes following the HRS-9821, each with its own different financial structure.

Hengrui Pharma will look after the development of these programmes on completion of phase 1 trials, also including other patients apart from China’s patient population. GSK will have options to further take over advertising/marketing and developing each program globally (except mainland China, Macau SAR, Taiwan, and the Hong Kong SAR region) at the end of the earlier phase 1, at GSK’s election, also certain programme substitution rights.

Views and Statements

Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Hengrui Pharma, Frank Jiang, said, “This strategic partnership with GSK symbolizes the next milestone in Hengrui’s globalization journey and supports our motive to introduce innovative and qualitative therapies for patients globally. GSK’s remarkable global clinical network, vast regulatory capabilities, and R&D expertise will leverage our PDE3/4 inhibitor will also encourage innovative therapy programs to international markets, potentially providing groundbreaking treatments to patients worldwide.”

Chief Scientific Officer at GSK, Tony Wood, said, “We are excited to announce these agreements with Hengrui Pharma that reflect our already extended pipeline. This deal is elaborated best for our strategic investments in programmes that identify validated targets, elevate possibilities of success, along with the option to advance those assets with the suited valuable potential for patient impact.”