Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

AstraZeneca PLC / Quell Therapeutics Limited

2023 · Licensing/Option · $2.1B · Complete

Outcome grade pending — assessed 5 years post-close.

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The coverage arc

Jun 09, 2023 BioPharma Dive Bullish

AstraZeneca has agreed to pay Quell Therapeutics up to $2.1 billion to develop engineered regulatory T cell therapies for type 1 diabetes and inflammatory…

Jun 09, 2023 Reuters Neutral

AstraZeneca said on Friday it had signed a deal worth up to $2.1 billion with Britain's Quell Therapeutics to develop engineered regulatory T-cell therapies…

Jun 10, 2025 Quell Therapeutics (GlobeNewswire) Bullish

AstraZeneca selected a lead IBD Treg cell-therapy candidate and exercised its exclusive option to license it for further development and commercialization,…

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AstraZeneca entered an exclusive option and license agreement with Quell to develop engineered Treg cell therapies for autoimmune diseases (T1D and IBD). Quell received $85M upfront (cash + equity) and is eligible for over $2B in development/commercial milestones plus tiered royalties. Since signing, the alliance has advanced on both programs: in November 2024 AstraZeneca selected a lead Type 1 diabetes CAR-Treg candidate to progress, triggering a $10M milestone to Quell; in June 2025 AstraZeneca selected a lead IBD candidate and exercised its exclusive option to license it for further development and commercialization, triggering a second $10M payment. AstraZeneca leads CTA/IND-enabling studies and clinical development while Quell provides CMC support and GMP drug-product supply for first-in-human trials. The collaboration remains active as of mid-2025; no termination has been disclosed.

Key facts

Related deals — scored

DealYearValueOutcome
AstraZeneca PLC / Quell Therapeutics Limited (this deal)2023$2.1B
AstraZeneca PLC / Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited2019$6.9B100
AstraZeneca PLC / KuDOS Pharmaceuticals Limited2005$210M98
AstraZeneca PLC / Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.2020$39.0B86
AstraZeneca PLC / Acerta Pharma2015$4.0B86
AstraZeneca PLC / Amgen Inc.2020$2.3B84
AstraZeneca PLC / MedImmune Inc.2007$15.6B82

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