It was a German company, BioNTech, that licensed this cancer drug candidate, called BNT323 from a Chinese company.
Details of the licensing deal:
The drug: BNT323 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), a type of targeted therapy for cancer.
The licensors: Chinese biotech firm Duality Biologics developed the drug, also known as DB-1303.
The licensee: German company BioNTech licensed the drug from DualityBio, giving it the right to develop and commercialize BNT323 outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The payment: BioNTech paid $170 million upfront for the rights to BNT323 and other ADC candidates, with additional payments possible if certain milestones are met.
BioNTech uses billions from Covid vaccine to become big Pharma company, buying drug candidates from small companies.
Strategic pivot: After generating billions of dollars in revenue from its successful COVID-19 vaccine, BioNTech has aggressively pursued a strategy of expanding its oncology (cancer) drug pipeline. This includes licensing drug candidates from smaller companies and making acquisitions.
Other deals: In addition to the Duality Biologics deal, BioNTech has made other strategic moves in oncology:
Biotheus: In November 2024, BioNTech acquired another Chinese biotech firm, Biotheus, for up to $950 million. The deal gave BioNTech global rights to the cancer drug candidate BNT327.
CureVac: In June 2025, BioNTech acquired the German company CureVac for $1.25 billion in an all-stock transaction. CureVac, also an mRNA developer, is focused on cancer and infectious disease medicines.
Bristol Myers Squibb: In June 2025, BioNTech also entered a co-development deal with U.S. pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), including a $1.5 billion upfront payment, for BNT327.
“FRANKFURT. Experts and investors are eagerly awaiting Mainz, where the biotechnology company BioNTech is driving forward the development of innovative cancer therapies following the international success of its coronavirus vaccine Comirnaty.
On Friday, the company announced a significant advance: In a pivotal study in China, the cancer immunotherapy trastuzumab pamirtecan (BNT323) achieved the primary endpoint of progression-free survival in patients with advanced breast cancer.
Progression-free survival is considered a key measure of treatment success: It describes the period during which the patient's disease stops progressing.
"With this candidate, our first oncology program in advanced development has achieved the primary endpoint in a pivotal phase three study," said BioNTech co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Özlem Türeci. This was well received on the stock market. The New York-listed company Shares of the Mainz-based company rose significantly in premarket trading on Friday.
Although the study is not yet complete, BioNTech nevertheless sees the interim results as an indication of the superiority of BNT323 over an already established therapy.
The so-called antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) represents an innovative approach in chemotherapy: The toxic drug is specifically delivered into the cancer cell, largely sparing healthy tissue. Compared to conventional chemotherapy, side effects can be significantly reduced in this way. Experts refer to this as "next-generation chemotherapy."
ADCs play a central role in BioNTech's combination therapy strategy in conjunction with mRNA-based vaccines and the bispecific antibody candidate BNT327. This milestone is accordingly significant. BNT323 is already being tested in combination with the antibody BNT327 in an early-stage safety and dosage study for advanced breast cancer. BNT323 is considered a key therapy for the Mainz-based company and, if the study results are convincing, is expected to be approved as a potential treatment option next year. The company's first cancer drug will be launched on the market.
The positive interim result for BNT323 also marks the first success of the phase three trial from the collaboration between BioNTech and its Chinese partner Duality Bio, with whom BioNTech developed this therapy. ADCs were not part of BioNTech's repertoire from the beginning: they were only added to the portfolio with the billions of euros earned from the Comirnaty coronavirus vaccine. Türeci and her husband, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin, are pursuing the goal of deploying a whole toolbox of powerful therapies against the insidious, widespread disease of cancer and are not afraid of external innovations to achieve this.
BNT327 was also purchased from China.
For those affected, the origin of the innovations is irrelevant: breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. For patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer, there are often limited treatment options. BioNTech therefore now wants to expand the clinical development of BNT323 internationally. A second global phase three trial is already underway, among other things to to prepare regulatory applications for the US and EU.” [1]
1. Biontech erzielt wichtigen Studienerfolg: Krebsmedikamentenkandidat erreicht primären. Endpunkt / Aktie legt zu Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 06 Sep 2025: 20
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