Sinopharm Biotech Secures $1.53 Billion Global Licensing Deal for First-in-Class JAK/ROCK Inhibitor Rovadicitinib with Sanofi

On March 4, Sino Biopharm (01177) announced that its subsidiary, Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., had entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanofi S.A., involving the global development, production, and commercialization of the JAK/ROCK inhibitor Rovatiretinib.

According to the agreement, the company will receive an upfront payment of $135 million and potential development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments of up to $1.395 billion. Additionally, there will be tiered royalties of up to double digits based on the annual net sales of Rovaseltinib. The effectiveness of the agreement is subject to approval by relevant regulatory authorities.

Rofacitinib was approved for marketing by the National Medical Products Administration of China in February 2026, for the first-line treatment of adult patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis, or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis.

Moreover, Roflumatinib has shown breakthrough potential in the treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease. It has currently entered Phase III clinical trials in China and was included in the Breakthrough Therapy program in August 2025. Its Phase Ib/IIa clinical data has been published in the journal *Blood*, showing a 12-month failure-free survival rate superior to other approved therapies.