Novartis returns tislelizumab to BeiGene as PD-1 gains first European nod

Novartis has ended its major cancer immunotherapy collaboration with BeiGene more than two years after touting the benefits of having a PD-1 inhibitor.

BeiGene has regained full rights from Novartis for the PD-1 inhibitor tislelizumab, BeiGene said in a press release Tuesday. The Swiss pharma previously had co-development and co-commercialization rights to the drug in North America, Japan, the EU and several other countries under a $650 million upfront licensing deal signed in early 2021.

The news marks the end of a second immuno-oncology partnership between the two companies after they parted ways on BeiGene’s anti-TIGIT candidate ociperlimab about two months ago.
 Novartis said a changing PD-1 inhibitor landscape led to the decision to terminate the tislelizumab agreement.

“This decision will provide Novartis with greater flexibility for development of its unique, potentially transformational pipeline assets, notably in markets where there are already approved PD-1 therapies in desired indications that can support development of our novel IO combination programs.”

Without a Big Pharma partner, BeiGene will face a lot of pressure entering the complicated and crowded PD-1/L1 space, in which eight other drugs are already approved across various tumor types in the U.S.

 Josh Neiman, BeiGene’s chief commercial officer for North America and Europe, didn’t articulate whether BeiGene will look for a new partner, saying that “it’s always hard to predict all of the future with certainty.”

This is also the second time BeiGene regained tislelizumab from a foreign pharma. Back in 2019, Celgene returned the drug in the middle of its $74 billion merger with Bristol Myers Squibb because of conflict of interest with BMS’ Opdivo.

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