Takeda circles leukemia rival to Novartis' Scemblix in up to $1.3B deal with Ascentage

With a deal worth up to $1.3 billion, Takeda could get its hands on a “potentially best-in-class” third-generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) that could rival Novartis' Scemblix.

Thanks to an agreement with Ascentage Pharma, Takeda may later choose to in-license the Chinese biotech's olverembatinib, which is being developed for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) along with “other hematological cancers,” Takeda said in a press release.