Weighed down by safe­ty con­cerns of JAK port­fo­lio, Pfiz­er hatch­es a deal to go a dif­fer­ent di­rec­tion in rheuma­toid arthri­tis

Days af­ter con­ced­ing that its block­buster JAK in­hibitor flunked a post-mar­ket­ing safe­ty study, Pfiz­er has signed off on a brand new ap­proach to rheuma­toid arthri­tis.

The de­ci­sion trig­gers a new li­cens­ing deal with Bel­gian biotech Im­cyse, a part­ner since 2017. The mile­stones are mod­est at up to $180 mil­lion, but what mat­ters more for the small­er play­er might be Pfiz­er’s promise to in­vest in its next fi­nanc­ing round on top of the cash pay­ment.

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