Arbutus regains global rights to imdusiran following Qilu exit
US biotech Arbutus Biopharma (Nasdaq: ABUS) has reacquired the rights to its lead hepatitis B candidate, imdusiran (AB-729), in China, ending a nearly four-year partnership with Qilu Pharmaceutical.
The companies confirmed the move in a joint agreement this week, with Arbutus citing a strategic focus on accelerating its chronic hepatitis B pipeline and Qilu pointing to internal reprioritization. While the financial terms of the reacquisition were not disclosed, the original 2021 deal had included a $40 million upfront payment and the potential for up to $245 million in milestone payouts.
Arbutus, now under the leadership of chief executive Lindsay Androski, has spent recent months reorienting its operations around imdusiran. That included halting all in-house research and laying off more than half its workforce, while also vacating its Warminster, Pennsylvania, headquarters.
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
Free
7 day trial access
- All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
- Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
- Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.
Become a subscriber
£820
Or £77 per month
- Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
- Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
- Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
- Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
- Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
More on this story...
Today's issue
More Features in Pharmaceutical
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2025 | Headless Content Management with Blaze