Astellas’ chief strategy officer, Adam Pearson, talks to Scrip about the company’s launch execution thrust for key therapies ahead of the loss of exclusivity for Xtandi and also deal-making appetite and choices, including the Iveric Bio buyout and walking away from the collaboration with Cartesian Therapeutics.

Deal snapshot: The German biopharma will partner with Caris’s research arm to discover and validate novel targets for incorporation into first-in-class antibody-drug conjugates for cancer.

The acquisition brings two potential best-in-class cancer therapies, which could make Nuvation a commercial company as soon as 2025.

Biotech IPOs on the Chinese mainland have dried up since June 2023 due to regulatory tightening, but Hong Kong is still open to listings of pre-revenue ventures and has seen its first offering of this year.