China has undoubtably become a powerhouse for dealmaking activity in the oncology space. Over the past 5+ years, the number of Chinese biotech and pharma invested in the oncology space have grown and portfolios have moved further away from the generic/life cycle play agents to more innovative therapeutics. Although there is a tendency by many Chinese companies to still go after the de-risked assets when looking to develop in China, those that are looking for growth in the global markets are looking to become the first wave of new targets and asset/modalities. In-licensing activities for Chinese biopharma had previously been more focused on late stage/marketed assets and now we are starting to see companies filling the backlog in their portfolio with early assets. Out-licensing activites of Chinese biotech have heated up in the last year or so, with some major out-licensing of not just validated target classes (PD-1/L1), but also of novel FIC assets (CD47/I-Mab). Within the context of these trends and the ongoing pandemic, will dealmaking slow down? Where will China dealmaking go next? How should those looking to deal with Chinese biopharma position themselves to gain interest?
Moderator: James T. Lee, PhD, Principal, Oncology Lead, Cello Health BioConsulting
Panelists:
- Jeff Kmetz, CBO, Ascentage Pharma
- Fernando Salles, PhD, SVP, Head of US & EU BD, I-Mab Biopharma
- Guillaume Vignon, SVP, BD, BeiGene
- Ed Zhang, Venture Partner, Hillhouse Capital Management