Taizhou's Qyuns strikes licensing deal with Roche

Qyuns Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company based in China Medical City, Taizhou. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfabu]

Qyuns Therapeutics, a listed company based in China Medical City, Taizhou, has announced a landmark global licensing agreement with Roche for QX031N, its long-acting bispecific antibody candidate currently in preclinical development for autoimmune and respiratory diseases.

Under the agreement, Qyuns grants Roche exclusive worldwide rights to research, develop, register, manufacture and commercialize QX031N. In return, Roche will provide a $75 million upfront payment along with milestone payments of up to $995 million and tiered royalties on future product sales. Such a sizable upfront payment for a preclinical asset is rare, underscoring Roche's strong confidence in the program's potential.

Qyuns has also built a broader pipeline of long-acting bispecific antibodies, including QX030N, QX027N and QX035N. Earlier this year, QX030N was licensed to Caldera Therapeutics, bringing Qyuns a $10 million upfront payment and a 24.88 percent stake in the company.

QX031N is expected to be developed into a new treatment option for respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.