Private California venture will bring additional expertise and novel platforms to acquisitive biotech giant as it looks to expand its interests in bispecific and multispecific antibody technologies.

Agenus’ recent submission of balstilimab joins novel checkpoint inhibitors from Incyte expecting FDA action this year; Junshi and Coherus’ ongoing rolling BLA for toripalimab is the first from the multiple PD-1/L1 inhibitor candidates developed in China that are vying to enter the US market.

If bad luck comes in threes, GSK will be delighted to see the end of this week with dostarlimab approval delayed, bintrafusp failing in lung cancer and a Phase II of an ulcerative colitis drug discontinued.

Having just filed efgartigimod in the US, the European biotech has signed up Zai Lab to help develop and sell the potential autoimmune blockbuster in China, where an estimated 200,000 people live with myasthenia gravis.