EX­CLU­SIVE: Zai Lab’s Saman­tha Du scoops up Chi­na rights to an au­toim­mune drug with a hefty $175M li­cens­ing deal — heav­i­ly front­ed with cash and stock

Ar­genx $ARGX has just scored a ma­jor li­cens­ing pact with Saman­tha Du’s Zai Lab, and it in­cludes some of the largest num­bers in cash and near-term mile­stones we’ve seen in the sec­tor.

Du’s com­pa­ny has land­ed the re­gion­al rights to the biotech’s promis­ing au­toim­mune drug ef­gar­tigi­mod in a pact cov­er­ing Chi­na, Tai­wan, Hong Kong and Macau. In ex­change, ar­genx CEO Tim Van Hauw­er­meiren is get­ting a $75 mil­lion up­front in Zai Lab stock, an­oth­er $75 mil­lion as a guar­an­tee from Zai Lab for their cost-shar­ing arrange­ment, and an­oth­er $25 mil­lion mile­stone tied to US ap­proval of the late-stage drug.

Unlock this article instantly by becoming a free subscriber.

You’ll get access to free articles each month, plus you can customize what newsletters get delivered to your inbox each week, including breaking news.

SIGN UP LOG IN BECOME A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER