GSK, Hengrui Pharma enter agreements to develop up to 12 medicines

GSK (GSK) announced it has entered into agreements with Hengrui Pharma to develop up to 12 medicines, adding significant new growth opportunities to the company beyond 2031. The programs were selected to complement GSK’s Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation and Oncology pipeline, and assessed for their potential best- or first-in class profiles. GSK will pay $500 million in upfront fees across the agreements. The agreements include an exclusive worldwide license for a potential best-in-class, PDE3/4 inhibitor in clinical development for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as an add-on maintenance treatment, irrespective of background therapy. The addition of HRS-9821 supports GSK’s ambition to treat patients across the widest spectrum of COPD by including those who face continued dyspnoea or who are unlikely to receive inhaled corticosteroids or biologics, based on their disease profile.