AstraZeneca and Moderna also shone as the pharma, biotech and allied industries came together in London on 30 November to celebrate a year of exceptional achievement at the 18th Annual Scrip Awards, hosted by the actor, comedian and presenter Stephen Mangan.

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

Mersana will help J&J develop antibody-drug conjugates against three targets, while AstraZeneca out-licenses a candidate for peripheral artery disease to Regio.

The Dutch firm’s dream to become the number one antibody drug conjugate technology provider by 2023 has been bolstered by a flurry of recent strategic collaborations, including one with MacroGenics.