Novartis entered a strategic collaboration with BeiGene to license tislelizumab; to market in major markets outside China, including North America, Europe, and Japan. Novartis got the commercial rights to tislelizumab in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Russia, and Japan. Novartis has agreed to an upfront payment of USD 650 million along with royalties and milestone payments.
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This collaboration helps the Swiss drugmaker expand its oncology portfolio by adding late-stage PD-1 monotherapy and possible combinations, driving its mid and long-term growth.
Tiselizuman is an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody. Novartis announced that currently, 15 potentially registration-enabling clinical trials are underway for more than ten indications. The drug is in late-stage development for Hodgkin's disease; liver cancer; non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, oesophageal cancer, and small cell lung cancer. The first filing outside China is anticipated in 2021.
Tislelizumab has been approved in China for classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The drug is in different phases of clinical trials to get approval for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other solid tumors.