US-based, China-focused CANbridge moves into cholestatic liver disease and enzyme replacement therapy via two deals. Plus deals involving LegoChem, TransThera, Morepen, Daiichi Sankyo, Geneseeq, Innocare, Biosplice, Sirnaomics and Walvax.

Although there weren’t many large-scale partnerships as in previous years, Korean biopharma firms were involved in a broad range of deals across diverse therapeutic areas in 2020, with ADCs, oncology and domestic alliances emerging as key trends. 

Although SRF813 isn’t likely to reach the clinic until 2021, GSK likes cell therapy’s monotherapy and combination potential. Lilly bids $880m to acquire neurodegenerative cell therapy firm Prevail.

NASH has become a major therapeutic focus for pharma firms in South Korea, where companies are speeding up development and expanding their pipelines after Yuhan’s sizable global license deals last year.