Zhangjiang Pharma Valley Companies Announce Multiple BD Deals, Showcasing Strong Market Potential

Nov 12, 2025 21:50 CST Updated 21:50

Laekna Therapeutics

Innovative Drug Developer

Qilu Pharmaceutical

Specialty Formulations and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) Developer

SANEGENEBIO

Small Nucleic Acid Drug Developer

Recently, three Zhangjiang Medipark enterprises have successivelyAnnouncementReach BD deals. By continuously strengthening their R&D capabilities and building external cooperation ecosystems, Zhangjiang pharmaceutical companies are accelerating the delivery of treatment hope to many patients.

Laekna Therapeutics and Qilu Pharmaceutical Sign Exclusive Licensing Agreement for LAE002 in China

November 12,Laekna Therapeutics in Zhangjiang Pharm ValleyExclusive License Agreement Signed with Qilu Pharmaceutical for the Accelerated Commercialization of Breast Cancer Candidate New Drug LAE002 (Afuresertib) in China.

(Image Source: Laekna Therapeutics)

According to the terms of the agreement, until the first indication receives new drug application approval in China, Laekna Therapeutics is entitled to receive up to RMB 530 million in non-refundable upfront and clinical development milestone payments, as well as up to a total of RMB 2.045 billion in upfront and milestone payments. In addition, Laekna Therapeutics is also entitled to receive tiered sales royalties on future net sales in the China region, with royalty rates ranging from over ten percentage points to over twenty percentage points.

LAE002 (afuresertib) is a potent AKT inhibitor that inhibits all three AKT subtypes (AKT1, AKT2, and AKT3). It is also one of the two globally advanced AKT inhibitors in late-stage clinical development for breast cancer and prostate cancer. Currently, the Phase III clinical trial (AFFIRM-205) of LAE002 (afuresertib) for HR+/HER2- breast cancer is recruiting as planned. Laekna Therapeutics will be responsible for completing this Phase III clinical trial (AFFIRM-205), with the goal of completing participant enrollment in the fourth quarter of 2025, and plans to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) to the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China in 2026.

Insilico Medicine Partners with Eli Lilly for AI-Driven Drug Discovery Collaboration

November 10,Zhangjiang Pharma Valley Company Insilico MedicineAnnounced a strategic drug discovery collaboration with Eli Lilly. The partnership will leverage the cutting-edge technological advantages of Insilico Medicine's self-developed AI drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, combined with Lilly's extensive expertise in drug development and disease research, to jointly accelerate the discovery and development of innovative therapies.

According to the agreement, Insilico Medicine will leverage its widely validated Pharma.AI platform and professional drug R&D capabilities to generate, design, and optimize candidate compounds for the innovative targets identified by both parties. Insilico Medicine is entitled to receive up to over 100 million US dollars in revenue from this collaboration, including upfront payments, R&D milestone payments, and tiered royalties on net sales after future drug commercialization. This collaboration marks a further upgrade in the partnership between the two parties. As early as 2023, Insilico Medicine and Eli Lilly had reached a software licensing collaboration based on the AI platform, laying a solid foundation for this strategic collaboration.

SANEGENEBIO Announces Strategic Collaboration with Eli Lilly for RNAi Drug Development

November 8,Zhangjiang Pharm Valley Company SANEGENEBIOSANEGENEBIO Announces Global R&D Collaboration and Licensing Agreement with Eli Lilly to Jointly Advance the Development of RNAi Candidate Drugs for Metabolic Diseases Based on SANEGENEBIO's Proprietary LEAD™ Platform

(Image source: SANEGENEBIO)

LEAD™ (Ligand and Enhancer Assisted Delivery, a novel ligand and enhancer co-delivery) platform is a tissue-selective delivery technology independently developed by SANEGENEBIO. It enables efficient and specific delivery of RNAi drugs to extrahepatic tissues and cells. Based on this platform, there is potential to develop a breakthrough therapy for metabolic diseases that requires only two subcutaneous administrations per year.

SANEGENEBIO will be responsible for screening and identifying the optimal RNAi active molecules for the collaborative projects based on the LEAD™ platform, while Eli Lilly and Company will handle the subsequent drug’s IND application research, clinical development, and commercialization.

According to the terms of the agreement, SANEGENEBIO will receive near-term payments including an upfront payment and equity investment. In addition, SANEGENEBIO is entitled to receive subsequent development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments of up to $1.2 billion, as well as tiered royalties on commercial sales.

Source: Laekna Therapeutics, Insilico Medicine, SANEGENEBIO