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Outcome grade pending — assessed 5 years post-close.
Full analysis, sources & comparables →Eli Lilly plans to acquire French antibody-drug conjugate developer Mablink Bioscience to bolster its oncology pipeline with a next-generation linker platform.…
Eli Lilly and Company has announced an agreement to acquire French biotech Mablink Bioscience, which specializes in next-generation antibody-drug conjugates…
FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to sofetabart mipitecan (LY4170156, originated from Lilly's Mablink acquisition) for platinum-resistant epithelial…
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Lilly acquired French ADC specialist Mablink Bioscience, gaining the PSARLink hydrophilic polysarcosine linker technology and lead candidate MB-1707 (a.k.a. MBK-103), an FRalpha-targeted exatecan ADC positioned as a next-generation rival to AbbVie's Elahere. Announced October 18, 2023; closed December 1, 2023. Deal terms undisclosed; press estimates ~$250M including milestones. Post-close the asset was renamed LY4170156 and received the INN sofetabart mipitecan. It advanced into a Phase 1a/b study (NCT06400472), with first clinical data at ASCO 2025 (June) showing a preliminary ORR of ~55% at the 4 mg/kg Q3W dose in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, including responses in patients who had progressed on prior mirvetuximab soravtansine; updated data followed at ESMO 2025 (October). On January 20, 2026 the FDA granted sofetabart mipitecan Breakthrough Therapy Designation for platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer in patients who received prior bevacizumab and mirvetuximab soravtansine, and the asset advanced into the Phase 3 FRAmework-01 program (NCT07213804). The original bolt-on thesis has been strongly validated.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly and Company / Mablink Bioscience SAS (this deal) | 2023 | $250M | — |
| Eli Lilly and Company / Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH | 2011 | $444M | 89 |
| Eli Lilly and Company / Loxo Oncology, Inc. | 2019 | $8.0B | 88 |
| Eli Lilly and Company / Applied Molecular Evolution Inc. | 2003 | $400M | 88 |
| Eli Lilly and Company / ICOS Corporation | 2006 | $2.3B | 87 |
| Eli Lilly and Company / Novartis Animal Health | 2014 | $5.4B | 70 |
| Eli Lilly and Company / Incyte Corporation | 2009 | $755M | 69 |
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