Pharma BD Deal Intelligence

GlaxoSmithKline plc / Genmab A/S (HuMax-TAC follow-on)

2009 · Licensing/Option · $102M · Complete

CALLED IT — OFF BY 24

GSK's ofatumumab bet with Genmab flopped commercially in oncology and was sold to Novartis for $1B in 2015 — only to become a genuine blockbuster (Kesimpta, $3.2B in 2024) after Novartis repositioned it for MS, meaning the value GSK paid to develop never materialized under GSK's own ownership.

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The coverage arc

Dec 15, 2006 FierceBiotech Bullish

GSK and Genmab announced a co-development and commercialization agreement for ofatumumab in CD20+ B-CLL, follicular NHL and Phase II rheumatoid arthritis with…

Oct 26, 2009 GlaxoSmithKline Bullish

FDA granted accelerated approval to Arzerra (ofatumumab) for fludarabine- and alemtuzumab-refractory CLL based on a 42% objective response rate in the pivotal…

Mar 16, 2015 Genmab A/S Investor Relations Neutral

Genmab retains a 25% partial interest in HuMax-TAC-ADC, an ADC combining Genmab's HuMax-TAC antibody and ADC Therapeutics' PBD-based warhead and linker…

Source summaries from our enrichment pipeline; follow links for originals.

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Original ofatumumab Dec 2006; total deal up to $2.1B in 2009 amendments. Source: GSK, Genmab filings. NOTE: original signing 2006 — listing 2009 amendment iteration if applicable.

Did it work? Outcome assessment

GSK's ofatumumab bet with Genmab flopped commercially in oncology and was sold to Novartis for $1B in 2015 — only to become a genuine blockbuster (Kesimpta, $3.2B in 2024) after Novartis repositioned it for MS, meaning the value GSK paid to develop never materialized under GSK's own ownership.

Strategic verdict
Failed to Achieve

Key facts

Related deals — scored

DealYearValueOutcome
GlaxoSmithKline plc / Genmab A/S (HuMax-TAC follow-on) (this deal)2009$102M34
GlaxoSmithKline plc / Theravance, Inc.2012$213M82
GlaxoSmithKline plc / Tesaro Inc.2018$5.1B79
GlaxoSmithKline plc / Pfizer Inc. (Consumer Healthcare Division)2018$12.7B76
GlaxoSmithKline plc / Novartis Consumer Healthcare JV2018$13.0B74
GlaxoSmithKline plc / ID Biomedical Corporation2005$1.4B64
GlaxoSmithKline plc / Vir Biotechnology Inc.2020$595M51

Compare all 7 side-by-side →

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