AstraZeneca Inks $1.35B Deal with Alteogen for Subcutaneous Cancer Drugs Amid Industry Patent Disputes

AstraZeneca has entered an exclusive licensing agreement with South Korean biotech firm Alteogen for ALT-B4, a novel hyaluronidase enzyme using Hybrozyme platform technology5.

The deal allows AstraZeneca to develop and commercialize subcutaneous formulations of multiple oncology assets using ALT-B45.

The agreement includes an upfront payment and additional payments tied to development, regulatory, and sales-related milestones, with a total potential value of up to $1.35 billion4 5.

Alteogen will be responsible for clinical and commercial supply of ALT-B4 to AstraZeneca and will receive royalties on sales of commercialized products5 8.

This deal comes amid an ongoing patent dispute between Merck and Halozyme Therapeutics over a similar hyaluronidase enzyme technology used in Merck's subcutaneous version of Keytruda6.

Merck is challenging the validity of Halozyme's patents, while Halozyme claims Merck's new Keytruda formulation infringes on its patents6 3.

The agreement with Alteogen is not expected to affect AstraZeneca's financial guidance for 20255 8.

This deal highlights the growing importance of subcutaneous formulations in oncology, as they can reduce administration times and improve convenience for patients and healthcare systems5.