Dealmakers at BeiGene, Brii Biosciences and Ideaya Biosciences had a busy end to the year, sharing news of agreements for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and other assets in the final few days of 2024. Ideaya wrote the biggest check. The California-based biotech is paying Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals $75 million upfront for rights to a DLL3-directed ADC outside of greater China. Hengrui is studying the ADC, which is called SHR-4849, in a phase 1 trial in China. Ideaya plans to file to test the drug candidate in humans in the U.S. in the first half of 2025. The deal establishes Ideaya as a player in the DLL3 space. The presence of the receptor in solid tumors including small cell lung cancer has attracted companies such as Amgen, which sells the DLL3 bispecific Imdelltra, and Merck & Co., which nabbed a trispecific T-cell engager in its Harpoon Therapeutics buyout. Ideaya believes SHR-4849 could be a first-in-class DLL3 topo-I-payload ADC. Duality Biologics shared news of another ADC deal. The Chinese biotech said BeiGene has taken up its option to license the B7H4-directed ADC DB1312.

Full report : BeiGene, Brii and Ideaya sign a deal to collaborate on antibody-drug conjugates and other drugs.