Mintz advised biotechnology company BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ: BGNE; HKEX: 06160) in its recently announced collaboration and license agreement with pharmaceutical company Novartis Pharma AG to develop, manufacture and commercialize BeiGene’s anti-PD-1 antibody tislelizumab in the United States, Canada, Mexico, member countries of the European Union, United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Russia, and Japan. Under the agreement BeiGene will receive an upfront cash payment of $650 million from Novartis, and is eligible to receive up to $1.55 billion in potential regulatory and sales milestone payments plus royalties on product sales.

Tislelizumab is the first drug from BeiGene’s immuno-oncology biologics program and is being developed globally as a monotherapy and in combination with other therapies for the treatment of a broad array of both solid tumor and hematologic cancers. The companies have agreed to jointly develop tislelizumab in the above-mentioned licensed countries, with Novartis responsible for regulatory submissions after a transition period and for commercialization upon regulatory approvals. In addition, both companies may conduct clinical trials globally to explore combinations of tislelizumab with other cancer treatments, and BeiGene has an option to co-detail the product in North America, funded in part by Novartis.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives. As a leading global medicines company, Novartis uses innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. Novartis products reach nearly 800 million people globally, and about 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world.

Headquartered in Beijing, China, BeiGene is a global, commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing innovative medicines to improve treatment outcomes and access for patients worldwide. The company’s over 5,000 employees in China, the United States, Australia, Europe, and elsewhere are committed to expediting the development of a diverse pipeline of novel therapeutics.

The Mintz team representing BeiGene was led by Member of the firm’s Licensing & Collaborations Practice John J. Cheney. Since 2010, Mintz and Mr. Cheney have represented BeiGene in numerous licensing transactions, including in strategic collaborations with Amgen in 2019, Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. in 2018, and Celgene Corporation in 2017, among others.

Mintz is one of the leading law firms to the life sciences industry. The firm’s attorneys advise hundreds of businesses and other organizations across the sector’s ecosystem—from start-ups and emerging growth companies to large public companies as well as venture capital firms, investment banks, and research and academic institutions—on pivotal deals, mission-critical disputes, intellectual property, and regulatory matters. Learn more about Mintz’s Life Sciences Practice here.