--- title: 'Life Sciences Daily Summary: What Happened on October 3, 2026' headline: Novartis commits $575 million upfront for Abogen’s mRNA immune therapy description: Circle Pharma shifts priority to a preclinical cancer drug as three China deals put large upfront payments behind early-stage assets. url: https://thebench.bio/news/summaries/2026-10-03 topic: all date: '2026-10-03' covers: - '2026-10-02' - '2026-10-03' date_published: '2026-10-03T15:25:18Z' date_modified: '2026-10-03T15:50:10Z' sources: 8 publisher: The Bench (thebench.bio) --- # 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. ## 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. [1] [2] 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. [2] [5] The deal also gives Novartis options to license additional programs from Abogen’s RNA platform. [1] [2] 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. [1] [5] 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] ## Also worth knowing - AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo and Summit Therapeutics plan to test Datroway with ivonescimab, starting with a Phase III trial in first-line triple-negative breast cancer. [6] [7] [8] ## The day in numbers - **$575 million**: Novartis’s upfront payment to Abogen for ABO2203 and options on other programs. [1] [2] - **Up to $7.2 billion**: Potential milestone payments to Abogen if Novartis exercises all options and the programs meet their milestones. [1] [5] - **$92.5 million**: Circle Pharma’s Series E, announced September 16. [3] - **$300 million**: Minimum upfront payment in each of the three China asset deals. [4] ## Sources 1. [Novartis turns to mRNA-encoded engagers for B cell depletion](), BioCentury, 2026-10-03 2. [Novartis Licenses Abogen's mRNA-Encoded CD19xCD3 T-Cell Engager ABO2203 for Autoimmune Diseases](), BioPharm International, 2026-10-02 3. [Circle’s $92.5M round puts cyclin D1 program ahead of clinical lead](), BioCentury, 2026-10-03 4. [Pharma partnering in China gets earlier and broader](), BioCentury, 2026-10-02 5. [Novartis bets up to $7.8B on Abogen’s mRNA autoimmune therapy](), European Biotechnology, 2026-10-02 6. [Roundup: Novartis & Abogen Enter Licensing and Option Agreement, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo Enter Clinical Collaboration with Summit Therapeutics](), Pharmaceutical Executive, 2026-10-02 7. [Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: Foghorn Therapeutics & Eli Lilly Discontinue Development of FHD-909](), Pharmaceutical Executive, 2026-10-02 8. [The BioPharm Brief: Room Temperature, RNA, and ADCs](), BioPharm International, 2026-10-02 --- The Bench wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: [4]: [5]: [6]: [7]: [8]: