The agreement includes up to 10 biosimilars, with initial payments potentially reaching $100.5m and global commercialization rights outside China.
Sandoz has agreed to a milestone-based collaboration with Shanghai Henlius Biotech worth up to $322m to develop and commercialize biosimilars. Near-term payments for initial assets could total $100.5m, focusing on complex drugs like Erbitux, Repatha, and Benlysta.
The deal expands a prior oncology partnership and targets drugs with expired patents but no existing biosimilars. Erbitux alone generated $1.7bn in 2025 sales, highlighting the market potential. Henlius will handle development and manufacturing, while Sandoz manages global commercialization, excluding China.
The agreement underscores Sandoz’s strategy to fill gaps in the biosimilar market, particularly for structurally complex compounds. No immediate market reaction was reported.