China’s Innovent Biologics Secures USD $1 Billion ADC Oncology Licensing Agreement with Roche

Chinese Innovent Biologics, Inc. has announced an exclusive USD$ 1 Billion licensing agreement with Swiss pharma firm Roche. The agreement supports the development of IBI3009, a DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate for treating advanced small cell lung cancer. IBI3009 has obtained Investigational New Drug (IND) approvals in Australia, China, and the United States, with the first patient dosed in the Phase 1 clinical study in December 2024.

USD$ 80 Million Set as Upfront Payment to Innovent with Roche Taking Over Further Development of IBI3009

Under the terms of the agreement, Innovent has granted Roche exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize IBI3009. The two companies will collaborate on the early-stage development of the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate, after which Roche will assume full responsibility for its further development. Innovent will receive an upfront payment of $80 million and has the potential to earn up to $1 billion in milestone payments tied to development and commercialization, in addition to tiered royalties based on net sales.

Boris L. Zaïtra, Head of Corporate Business Development at Roche, stated, “We are excited to enter this partnership with the Innovent team to further develop this promising investigational treatment for patients with small cell lung cancer. This partnership builds on Roche’s long history of innovation in the area of ADCs, to address the unmet needs of patients with solid tumors with transformational medicines.”

The deal with Innovent builds on Roche’s recent efforts in the ADC field. In January 2024, Roche entered a $66 million upfront agreement with Moma Therapeutics for access to its KnowledgeBase ADC platform, targeting various cancers. The deal included potential milestone payments totaling up to $2 billion. Roche followed this agreement with a $1 billion deal with China’s MediLink, granting exclusive rights to YL211, a mesenchymal epidermal transforming factor ADC under development for solid tumors. 

IBI3009 Targeting DLL3 with TOPO1i Platform for Chemotherapy-Resistant Tumors

IBI3009 targets DLL3, a protein with low expression in normal tissues but significantly overexpressed in certain cancers, including small-cell lung cancer and other neuroendocrine tumors. The ADC candidate was developed using Innovent’s proprietary topoisomerase 1 inhibitor (TOPO1i) platform, which aims to improve the effectiveness of targeted therapies by inhibiting DNA replication in cancer cells.

Researchers regard IBI3009 as a notable candidate in the DLL3-targeting ADC category, showing promising anti-tumor activity in multiple tumor-bearing mouse models, especially in chemotherapy-resistant cancer types. The candidate has also demonstrated a favorable safety profile in preclinical studies.

“We are delighted to once again enter a strategic collaboration with Roche, a global leader in oncology, to advance our potentially best-in-class DLL3 ADC candidate,” said Dr. Samuel Zhang, Chief Business Officer of Innovent. “By combining Roche’s scientific expertise and global development capabilities with our innovative approach, we are taking a significant step forward in our mission—to empower patients worldwide with affordable, high-quality biopharmaceuticals.” 

Author

Denisse Sandoval