Life Sciences Daily Summary
Life Sciences Daily Summary: What Happened on October 3, 2026
Novartis commits $575 million upfront for Abogen’s mRNA immune therapy
Circle Pharma shifts priority to a preclinical cancer drug as three China deals put large upfront payments behind early-stage assets.
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Covers October 2 and October 3. There was no summary on October 2.
Today in brief
Novartis will pay Abogen $575 million upfront for worldwide rights to its mRNA-encoded T-cell engager ABO2203 and options on other programs.12 Circle Pharma is putting preclinical cyclin D1 inhibitor CID-165 ahead of its Phase I drug, after announcing a $92.5 million Series E on September 16.3 Merck, Novo Nordisk and Novartis each agreed to pay at least $300 million upfront for early-stage assets from China.4
Novartis pays $575 million upfront for Abogen’s mRNA T-cell engager
Novartis secured worldwide rights to ABO2203, an experimental treatment designed to make the body produce a protein that directs T cells to kill B cells.25 The deal also gives Novartis options to license additional programs from Abogen’s RNA platform.12 Abogen could receive up to $7.2 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestones if Novartis exercises all the options and the programs meet their milestones.15
ABO2203 is being studied in Phase 1 trials for autoimmune diseases and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.5 An early oncology study reported results in nine people with lymphoma, but those findings do not establish how the drug will work in autoimmune disease.2
Circle puts a preclinical cyclin D1 drug ahead of its clinical lead
Circle Pharma is prioritizing preclinical cyclin D1 inhibitor CID-165 over CID-078, its cyclin A/B inhibitor in Phase I.3 Chief executive David Earp said preclinical combination data drove the decision.3
Circle plans to begin clinical development of CID-165 in early 2027.3 The company is pursuing the drug in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, targeting another part of the pathway addressed by CDK4/6 drugs.3
Three China deals put large upfront payments behind early-stage assets
Deals involving Merck, Novo Nordisk and Novartis each offered at least $300 million upfront for assets with little or no clinical data.4 Each deal had a potential total value above $2 billion, and the assets span different diseases and treatment types.4
The deals suggest that large pharma is extending China partnerships beyond cancer antibody programs and committing earlier in development.4