GSK buys rights to Hansoh Pharma antibody-drug conjugate

GSK has agreed to buy the rights to an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) - HS-20093 - from Chinese biopharmaceutical group Hansoh Pharma.

Under the terms of the deal, GSK will pay $185m upfront and Hansoh will be eligible to receive up to $1.525bn in success-based milestones for HS-20093.

The ADC utilises a clinically-validated topoisomerase inhibitor (TOPOi) payload. Under the agreement, GSK will obtain exclusive worldwide rights excluding China’s mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan to progress clinical development and commercialisation of HS-20093.

Upon commercialisation, the pharmaceutical giant will pay tiered royalties on global net sales outside of China’s mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

GSK said the deal provides it with a second clinical-stage ADC that "complements its existing capabilities and strengths in developing medicines to address unmet medical needs in various solid tumours".

HS-20093 is currently being investigated in ongoing phase I and II trials in China. Data from the ARTEMIS-001 phase I trial for HS-20093 in advanced solid tumours was presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting. Initial clinical activity was observed in small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and sarcoma with multiple confirmed responses and a manageable safety profile.