Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Sosei Heptares and AbbVie entered a drug discovery collaboration and option-to-license agreement to develop small molecules modulating novel GPCR targets in neurological disease. Sosei received $40M upfront, up to $40M in near-term research milestones, and up to $1.2B in option/development/commercial milestones plus royalties; AbbVie has options on up to three programs. As of April 2026 the collaboration remained in the discovery/research phase and was progressing on plan: three US$10M research milestones had been achieved (first June 2024, second September 2025, third April 2026), totaling $30M of the up-to-$40M near-term research pool. AbbVie had not yet exercised any of its program license options. Sosei Heptares has since rebranded as Nxera Pharma.