Pharma partnering in China gets earlier and broader

Three deals in the past week underscore a shift in pharma’s China partnering toward a wider range of therapies — and substantial commitments before clinical proof of concept.

Each agreement included at least $300 million up front for an asset with little or no clinical data, with total potential value exceeding $2 billion. Spanning three disease areas and three modalities, the deals illustrate how pharma’s China partnering has expanded beyond the antibody-focused cancer deals that defined its early activity. ...