Summit Therapeutics Reportedly Makes $15B AstraZeneca Licensing Talks for Lung Cancer Drug

Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) is one of the best hot stocks to buy according to Wall Street analysts. On July 3, Bloomberg News reported that AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) is in discussions with Summit Therapeutics for a licensing agreement concerning an experimental lung cancer drug, with a potential value of up to $15 billion.

The proposed deal for the drug, which is known as ivonescimab, could involve an upfront payment of several billion dollars to Summit, in addition to future milestone payments. However, the talks are ongoing and could still fall apart. Summit might even choose to partner with a different company. Neither Summit nor AstraZeneca has officially commented on the report.

Summit Therapeutics Reportedly Makes $15B AstraZeneca Licensing Talks for Lung Cancer Drug

A laboratory employee in a sterile environment inspecting a microscope focused on a Clostridioides difficile infection sample.

Summit Therapeutics secured the rights to ivonescimab through a separate deal worth up to $5 billion with China-based Akeso in December 2022. Under that agreement, Summit gained exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ivonescimab in the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan, while Akeso (OTC:AKESF) retained rights for other regions, including China. The deal included an upfront payment of $500 million to Akeso and potential regulatory and commercial milestones of up to $4.5 billion.

Summit Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SMMT) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes patient, physician, caregiver, and societal-friendly medicinal therapies. AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercializes prescription medicines.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.