Already partnered on antibody-drug conjugates and a Phase III breast cancer candidate, Merck could pay up to $9.3bn under its third pact in 2022 with Kelun. Eisai divests Fycompa to Catalyst.

Plus deals with Synaffix/Emergence, Helsinn/Juniper and Sanyou/Shanghai KangaBio, while Takeda/Finch and Dong-A/Beactica ended prior collaborations. 

Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.

Response rate data supports yet another supplemental approval for Opdivo in an underserved tumor type that is becoming more competitive.