Takeda, a big name in the pharmaceutical world, is looking to China to boost its cancer drug development. They’ve just announced a major partnership with Innovent Biologics, a Chinese company, which could be worth over $11 billion. Here’s what’s happening: Takeda is getting the rights to two experimental cancer drugs that are in the late stages of testing, and they have the option to add a third one that’s in earlier development. Innovent will get $1.2 billion upfront and an extra $100 million investment. If all three drugs meet certain development goals, Takeda could pay up to $10.2 billion more. This isn’t the first time a big pharmaceutical company has turned to China for new medicines. In fact, these types of deals have been increasing lately. China’s biotechnology sector is growing fast, and many drug companies are looking for new medicines to replace ones that are about to lose their patent protection. Takeda, for example, recently lost the exclusive rights to some of its top-selling products, like the ADHD medication Vyvanse. This has led to a drop in profits, so the company is restructuring and focusing on other areas. But they do have some promising medicines in advanced testing, including a new sleep medication and a treatment for multiple autoimmune conditions. They’ve also shown interest in the Chinese market before, acquiring a colon cancer drug from Hutchmed in 2023. The latest deal adds two more potential treatments to their lineup. One of them, called IBI363, is an antibody that targets two common cancer markers, PD-1 and IL-2. It’s shown promise in early testing for several types of solid tumors, even in patients who don’t respond to common cancer immunotherapies. The other drug, IBI343, is a type of targeted chemotherapy that goes after a protein called Claudin 18.2. It’s shown promising results in studies for stomach and pancreatic cancers, which have some of the lowest survival rates. The third drug in the deal is still in early testing. It’s a targeted chemotherapy that goes after two proteins, EGFR and B7H3. Takeda could get the rights to this one if they choose to license it. Takeda sees these drugs as a big opportunity. They could fill some important gaps in cancer treatment and be a game-changer for their oncology portfolio. They’re hoping these new treatments will help the company grow in the years to come.