Pharma Alliances Accelerate in the $10B+ Cell Therapy Race as Companies File IPO Prospectuses

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Industry Dynamics】Cell therapy is considered to be a particularly promising field in the next generation of cancer treatment, and therefore it is highly popular in today's medical research field, with related research in China also proceeding vigorously. According to CDE, from 2023 to date, 27 new stem cell drugs have been accepted for review.
 

In recent years, China has introduced several documents to support the development of the stem cell and gene therapy industries. For instance, the "14th Five-Year Plan for Pharmaceutical Industry Development" lists immunocyte therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) and chimeric antigen receptor NK-cell (CAR-NK) targeting new targets and new indications, as well as stem cell therapy and gene therapy products, as key development priorities. The "14th Five-Year Plan for Bioeconomy Development" calls for the establishment of quality and safety evaluation technology platforms around products like stem cell and cellular immunotherapy, gene therapy, exosome therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine, promoting the advancement of new technologies such as gene diagnosis and treatment, stem cell therapy, and immune cell therapy.
 

Data shows that from 2021 to 2025, the market size of CAR-T therapy in China is expected to increase from 200 million yuan to 8 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 151.0%. In the future, as more CAR-T products are approved, the market size is expected to reach 28.9 billion yuan by 2030. Facing a market space of hundreds of billions, pharmaceutical companies have continuously formed alliances since 2023 to jointly advance in the field.
 

　　Cellular Biomedicine Group & Janssen: Advancing the Commercialization of Cell Therapy Products in China
 

Recently, Cellular Biomedicine Group (Shanghai) Ltd announced a revision to a cooperation agreement with Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. After the revision, Janssen will have the rights to commercialize the CD20-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) products C-CAR039 and C-CAR066 in China. Following successful commercialization, Cellular Biomedicine Group will receive milestone payments.
 

Currently, the IND application for C-CAR039 has been accepted by the CDE, and the Cellular Biomedicine Group (Shanghai) Ltd team is conducting the Phase Ib clinical trial.
 

It was reported that in May, Cellular Biomedicine Group (Shanghai) Ltd announced a collaboration with Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Both parties declared their joint effort to develop and commercialize next-generation novel CAR-T cell therapy products C-CAR039 (targeting CD19/CD20) and C-CAR066 (targeting CD20), for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). In the same month, Cellular Biomedicine Group received an upfront payment of $245 million from Janssen to achieve certain predefined clinical development and regulatory submission milestones. During the commercialization process of the two drugs, Cellular Biomedicine Group will receive sales royalties from Janssen’s net sales.
 

　　Porton Bio & SciClone: Accelerating the Development of Cell Therapy Drugs
 

On February 27, BioRay Biologics announced a strategic partnership with Kira Pharmaceuticals. The two parties will deepen project cooperation in the field of gene and cell therapy, rapidly advance the R&D pipeline, and accelerate the development process of innovative drugs.
 

BoTech Bio owns an end-to-end gene and cell therapy CDMO service platform, while SciGen Bio is an innovative company focused on using gene editing technology and cell therapy to treat rare diseases as well as develop and produce novel anti-cancer drugs.
 

According to the agreement, Porton Bio will provide CDMO services for the gene and cell therapy R&D pipeline of Kojin Bio, including plasmids, viruses, and cell therapy products.
 

　　BoTai Bio & YinJia Bio: A Powerful Alliance to Deepen CGT Industry Layout
 

On February 20, BioTech announced a strategic partnership with Yinka BioTech. The two parties have established a strategic cooperative relationship in the development of core protein raw materials for gene and cell therapy, as well as in the development of quality control and evaluation system testing reagents, to accelerate the development and commercialization process of gene and cell therapy.
 

Data shows that, YINNOVATE Bio is a technology-driven innovative company focusing on the application of proteins in biopharmaceuticals and other fields. It has a strong high-end protein R&D technology platform and rich industry experience as well as technical advantages in core critical protein raw materials and detection reagents.
 

According to the agreement, YINNOVA Biotech will provide high-quality core critical protein raw materials and testing reagent product services related to quality control and evaluation systems to BioTech Bio. The two parties will work together to promote the research, development, and industrialization of gene and cell therapy drugs.
 

　　Senlang Bio & Lechong Bio: Joining Hands to Explore a New Future for CAR-T R&D and Production
 

On December 11, Senlang Bio and LeKang Bio officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Both parties will build upon Senlang Bio's efficient cell therapy innovation technology platform and combine it with LeKang Bio’s excellent research, development, and production capabilities. By integrating advantageous resources and deepening collaboration, they aim to rapidly and steadily advance the research and application process of innovative immune cell therapy drugs. Together, they are committed to continuously developing cell therapy products with high safety, high efficacy, and low cost for patients.
 

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