Pfizer has joined the PD-1xVEGF bispecific gold rush. The Big Pharma is paying 3SBio $1.25 billion upfront for ex-China rights to a clinical candidate, establishing itself as a challenger to BioNTech, Merck & Co. and Summit Therapeutics in a scorching-hot area of immuno-oncology. Interest in PD-1/L1xVEGF bispecifics has been high since Summit and Akeso’s ivonescimab beat Merck’s megablockbuster Keytruda in a head-to-head trial. Since then, Merck has paid $588 million to join the race and BioNTech has handed over $800 million to secure full rights to a candidate it previously picked up through an ex-China deal. Pfizer made a splashy entrance late Monday, revealing it is paying $1.25 billion upfront and committing up to $4.8 billion in milestones for ex-China rights to 3SBio’s SSGJ-707. Pfizer is investing $100 million in 3SBio and will pay tiered double-digit royalties on sales of SSGJ-707, if approved. The deal gives Pfizer rights to a bispecific that is set to enter phase 3 in China, 3SBio’s home market, this year. 3SBio began four phase 2 trials of SSGJ-707 last year to assess the bispecific in colorectal, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). All the sites used in the studies are in China, according to the listings on ClinicalTrials.gov. The first phase 3 trial will enroll first-line, PD-L1 positive NSCLC patients.

Full story : Pfizer signs giant cancer drug deal with Chinese biotech startup 3SBio.