The Swiss drug maker teams up with Chinese biotech Medilink to gain access to a preclinical c-Met-targeting antibody-drug conjugate and potential competitor to two frontrunners from AbbVie.

A bumper December of licensing transactions and acquisitions involving biotech companies brought the feelgood factor back to the sector. But while big spending in the run-up to Christmas may not dent pharma’s credit cards, it might crimp its investors’ dividends.

Plus deals involving Biocytogen, Neurocrine and Ona, Aeterna Zentaris/Ceapro, Teva/Biolojic Design, Pathos AI/Rain Oncology, Inhibitor Therapeutics/Johns Hopkins and more.

To date, nine major pairs of antibody and payload-linker platform makers based in China are making a concerted approach for ADC research and development, research by Scrip reveals.