BeiGene expands pipeline and hops on board a quest to cure hep B, inking a $540M deal with a fellow upstart biotech

China biotech BeiGene $BGNE is stepping up with $40 million in cash and $500 million for a smorgasbord of milestones to partner with upstart Assembly Biosciences on its pipeline of hepatitis B drugs.

BeiGene gains rights to develop and market 3 of Assembly’s drugs — ABI-H0731, ABI-H2158 and ABI-H3733, aimed at attacking hep B at multiple stages of development — for the greater China market.