US drugmaker Merck has signed a licensing deal worth up to $2 billion with Chinese biotech company Hansoh Pharma for its experimental oral weight-loss drug HS-10535. The deal allows Merck to develop, manufacture, and sell the drug, which is similar to existing injectable rivals. The oral drug is currently in the preclinical stage of testing and may take several years to be commercially launched.
Merck will pay $112 million upfront for an exclusive license to the drug and could receive up to $1.9 billion in development and regulatory milestone payments as well as royalties on sales. The company has focused on developing oral versions of weight-loss treatments, including its own GLP-1 candidate efinopegdutide.
Merck’s entry into the market follows other companies such as Amgen, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca, which are also testing oral drugs for obesity treatment. Hansoh’s oral drug is a GLP-1 receptor agonist candidate similar to injectable rivals from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
The deal marks Merck’s latest move in the weight-loss market, where companies are racing to offer patients more convenient options. With the signing of this deal, Merck becomes a late contender in the race to offer a weight-loss pill to replace weekly shots.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/merck-signs-up-2-bln-obesity-drug-deal-with-chinese-biotech-hansoh-2024-12-18