Haisco Pharmaceutical Group has signed an exclusive licensing agreement with U.S.-based biotechnology company Nuvectis, granting the company rights to develop and commercialize two of its innovative drug candidates outside key Asian markets. The deal is valued at up to $1.461 billion, including upfront, milestone, and royalty payments, and represents a significant step in Haisco’s strategy to expand its presence in the global pharmaceutical market.
Announced on June 23, 2026 (Beijing time), the agreement gives Nuvectis exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize HSK42360 worldwide, excluding Greater China. Nuvectis also gains exclusive rights to HSK39297 in all global markets except Greater China, India, and selected Southeast Asian countries.
Under the terms of the agreement, Haisco will receive an upfront and near-term payment of $40 million. The company is also eligible to earn up to $1.421 billion in additional development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, along with tiered royalties on future worldwide product sales. Certain early milestone payments may be made in a combination of cash and Nuvectis common stock, with equity representing less than 40% of the total milestone value.
The agreement also includes provisions that allow Haisco to share in future sublicense income or change-of-control payments if Nuvectis licenses the assets to another company or is acquired during a specified period. The transaction remains subject to financing conditions, requiring Nuvectis to secure sufficient capital to support the clinical development of the licensed products.
The partnership centers on two promising drug candidates that address significant unmet medical needs.
HSK42360 is an investigational BRAF paradoxical breaker inhibitor designed to overcome acquired resistance that often develops with currently available BRAF-targeted therapies. Resistance to BRAF inhibitors remains a major challenge in treating several cancers, particularly advanced melanoma and other tumors carrying BRAF mutations. According to Haisco, HSK42360 has demonstrated strong potential in treating both primary brain tumors and cancers that have spread to the brain. The therapy is currently being evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial in China.
The second candidate, HSK39297, is a potential once-daily complement factor B (CFB) inhibitor being developed for complement-mediated diseases. Haisco has already submitted two New Drug Applications (NDAs) in China for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare blood disorder. The company is also advancing the drug through Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for several additional indications in China.
Haisco Chief Executive Officer Dr. Pangke Yan said the agreement aligns closely with the company’s long-term global development strategy. He noted that partnering with a U.S. biotechnology company such as Nuvectis will help accelerate the international development of Haisco’s innovative oncology and complement therapies while expanding access to high-quality treatments for patients around the world.
The collaboration also enables Haisco to leverage Nuvectis’ expertise in drug development, particularly in oncology and kidney-related diseases. By combining Haisco’s discovery and early clinical development capabilities with Nuvectis’ experience in advancing innovative therapies for global markets, the companies aim to speed the development of both drug candidates outside Asia.
For Nuvectis, the agreement strengthens its pipeline with two clinical-stage assets that have the potential to address important treatment gaps in oncology and rare diseases. For Haisco, the partnership represents another milestone in transforming its internally developed medicines into globally commercialized therapies through strategic international collaborations.
The licensing deal reflects a growing trend in the biopharmaceutical industry, where Chinese drug developers are increasingly partnering with international biotechnology companies to expand the global reach of innovative medicines developed domestically.