Teva and Fosun Pharma Enter into a Strategic Partnership to Develop Novel Anti-PD1-IL2 Therapy (TEV-56278) in Immuno-Oncology

Rhea-AI Summary

Teva Pharmaceutical (NYSE: TEVA) and Fosun Pharma have formed a strategic partnership to develop TEV-56278, an anti-PD1-IL2 ATTENUKINE therapy currently in Phase 1 trials for various cancers including melanoma. Under the agreement, Fosun Pharma receives exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize TEV-56278 in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and select Southeast Asian countries, while Teva maintains rights for the rest of the world. TEV-56278, developed using Teva's ATTENUKINE technology, represents a novel approach to cancer immunotherapy by selectively delivering IL-2 to PD-1+ T cells, potentially offering high efficacy and low toxicity. The partnership aims to accelerate clinical data generation, with Teva leveraging Fosun Pharma's data in other regions.

Positive

• Novel anti-PD1-IL2 therapy with potential for high efficacy and low toxicity in cancer treatment
• Strategic partnership enables faster clinical data generation through Fosun Pharma's expertise in Asian markets
• Teva retains development and commercialization rights for most global markets
• Technology demonstrates Teva's innovative drug development capabilities

Negative

• Early-stage development (Phase 1) indicates significant time before potential commercialization
• Limited to specific Asian markets for Fosun Pharma's rights
• Faces competition in the crowded cancer immunotherapy market

Insights

Pharmaceutical R&D Specialist

Teva's strategic partnership with Fosun Pharma accelerates development of promising cancer immunotherapy while expanding Asian market access.

This collaboration represents a significant advancement for Teva's immuno-oncology pipeline. The anti-PD1-IL2 ATTENUKINE therapy (TEV-56278) combines two powerful immunotherapy approaches into one molecule - PD-1 inhibition and targeted IL-2 delivery. This dual-mechanism platform is designed to address limitations of current immunotherapies by concentrating IL-2 activity specifically on PD-1 expressing T cells, potentially enhancing efficacy while reducing toxicity.

The partnership structure follows a typical regional licensing model, with Fosun gaining rights in China and select Asian markets while Teva maintains global rights elsewhere. What's particularly valuable is that Teva will have access to clinical data generated by Fosun, effectively enabling parallel development pathways that could accelerate the global approval timeline.

Currently in Phase 1, TEV-56278 demonstrates Teva's commitment to internal innovation beyond its traditional generics business. The ATTENUKINE platform represents proprietary technology that could yield multiple candidates. For context, cytokine-based cancer therapies, especially IL-2 approaches, have shown promise but historically suffered from toxicity issues. The targeted delivery mechanism employed here aims to overcome this limitation.

From a strategic perspective, this partnership aligns with Teva's stated "Pivot to Growth" initiative, leveraging external partnerships to advance its pipeline while sharing development costs and risks in competitive markets like China where local partnerships are often essential for regulatory success.

• Teva-engineered TEV-56278 is an anti-PD1-IL2 ATTENUKINE™ therapy in Phase 1 for the treatment of various forms of cancer, including melanoma
• Fosun Pharma-Teva collaboration agreement established with goal of accelerating clinical data generation for TEV-56278
• Partnership leverages strategic relationships to enable research and development of innovative treatments to advance Teva's Pivot to Growth strategy
  

TEL AVIV, Israel and SHANGHAI, June 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Fosun Pharma”, SSE: 600196, HKEX: 02196) today announced that the companies, through their respective subsidiaries, have entered a strategic partnership for the development of investigational TEV-56278, an anti-PD1-IL2 ATTENUKINE therapy. Teva’s internally developed ATTENUKINE technology provides a new mechanism of action, potentially offering high efficacy and low toxicity in a broad array of oncology indications.

Under the terms of the agreement, which aims to accelerate clinical data generation, Fosun Pharma is granted an exclusive license to develop, manufacture and commercialize TEV-56278 in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Macau SAR and Taiwan region and select Southeast Asian countries. Teva retains all development, manufacturing and commercialization rights to the licensed molecule in the rest of the world. The strategic partnership presents a significant step forward in the global development of TEV-56278, giving Teva the opportunity to leverage Fosun Pharma-generated data in other geographies.

“This partnership with Fosun Pharma in the development of our internally developed TEV-56278, an anti-PD1-IL2 ATTENUKINE therapy with the potential to treat devastating cancers, is the latest advance to ensuring acceleration of our pipeline,” said Eric Hughes, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, Teva Global R&D and Chief Medical Officer. “TEV-56278 demonstrates the strength of Teva’s innovative drug development capabilities and how strategic partnerships with companies such as Fosun Pharma play a pivotal role in advancing therapies on behalf of patients.” 

Anti-PD1-IL2 fusion proteins like TEV-56278 represent a novel approach to cancer immunotherapy. TEV-56278 is designed to deliver IL-2 selectively to PD-1+ T cells, thus amplifying anti-tumor T-cell activity while minimizing off-target systemic toxicities. The targeted approach holds promise for improving outcomes for patients with a variety of oncology diseases.

"We are pleased to partner with Teva on the development of TEV-56278," said Xingli WANG, MD, PhD, Executive President of Fosun Pharma and CEO of the Global R&D Center, "This collaboration brings together Teva's expertise in innovative drug development with Fosun Pharma's strong oncology development experience and commercial capabilities in the China market, creating a powerful synergy to accelerate the delivery of this important therapy to patients globally."

About TEV-56278

TEV-56278 is an anti-PD-1 antibody-cytokine fusion protein designed to selectively deliver an interleukin-2 (IL-2), i.e., ATTENUKINE, to PD-1-expressing T cells within the tumor microenvironment. This targeted approach aims to amplify anti-tumor T-cell activity while minimizing systemic toxicities. TEV-56278 is being evaluated as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab. Preclinical data has demonstrated tumor regression, enhanced T-cell infiltration, and durable immune memory.

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) is a different kind of global biopharmaceutical leader, one that operates across the full spectrum of innovation to reliably deliver medicines to patients worldwide. For over 120 years, Teva’s commitment to bettering health has never wavered. Today, the company’s global network of capabilities enables its 37,000 employees across 57 markets to advance health by developing medicines for the future while championing the production of generics and biologics. We are dedicated to addressing patients’ needs, now and in the future. Moving forward together with science that treats, inspired by the people we serve. To learn more about how Teva is all in for better health, visit www.tevapharm.com.

About Fosun Pharma

Founded in 1994, Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Fosun Pharma”; SSE: 600196, HKEX: 02196) is a leading innovation-driven global healthcare company operating in the fields of pharmaceuticals, medical devices & diagnostics, and healthcare services. Through its strategic alliance with Sinopharm Group Co., Ltd., Fosun Pharma further extends its capabilities in pharmaceutical commerce.

Over the past 30 years since its establishment, Fosun Pharma has maintained deep roots in China while strategically expanding its global presence. The company has been actively implementing its “4IN” strategy - Innovation, Internationalization, Intelligentization, and Integration, with core business operations now spanning major overseas markets including the United States, Europe, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. At present, Fosun Pharma has established an open and globally integrated pharmaceutical R&D ecosystem, focusing on core therapeutic areas including oncology (solid tumors and hematologic malignancies) and Immune-inflammatory disorders. The company is strategically enhancing its technological leadership in antibody/ADC platforms, cell therapies, and small molecule development, while collaborating with industry funds to pioneer next-generation modalities such as radiopharmaceuticals, RNA therapeutics, gene editing, and AI-powered drug discovery. This multidimensional approach accelerates the translation of innovative therapies into clinical practice, systematically addressing critical unmet medical needs worldwide.

Looking ahead, Fosun Pharma remains anchored in its core values of “Care for life, Continuous innovation, Pursuit of excellence and Sustainable partnership”. By advancing its global innovation engine and operational excellence, the company strives to be a global leader to integrate pharmaceutical and healthcare innovations, creating better health for families worldwide.

For more information, please visit our official website: www.fosunpharma.com

Teva Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are based on management’s current beliefs and expectations and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from that expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “target,” “may,” “project,” “guidance,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe” and other words and terms of similar meaning and expression in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to effectively execute our collaboration with Fosun for the development of Anti-PD1-IL2 Therapy (TEV-56278) for the treatment of various forms of cancer, including melanoma; our ability to successfully compete in the marketplace, including our ability to develop and commercialize additional pharmaceutical products; our ability to successfully execute our Pivot to Growth strategy, including to expand our innovative and biosimilar medicines pipeline and profitably commercialize the innovative medicines and biosimilar portfolio, whether organically or through business development, to sustain and focus our portfolio of generic medicines, and to execute on our organizational transformation and to achieve expected cost savings; and other factors discussed in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2025 and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, including in the sections captioned “Risk Factors and “Forward Looking Statements.” Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or other information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking Statements of Fosun Pharma

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” of Fosun Pharma. These forward-looking statements may include, but may not be limited to, the acceleration of global clinical development and commercialization of TEV-56278 through the strategic collaboration, TEV-56278’s potential to become an "efficacious and low-toxicity" therapy for multiple cancers with its novel mechanism of action, Fosun Pharma’s plans and prospects for the exclusive development, manufacture and commercialization of the therapy in China and Southeast Asia, and the synergies arising from integrating both parties’ strengths through this collaboration.

Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on Fosun Pharma’s current expectations and beliefs of future events, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet the predefined endpoints in clinical trials, commencement and/or completion dates for clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as risks associated with clinical data, including the possibility of unfavorable new clinical trial data and further analyses of existing clinical trial data, and the risk that efficacy, safety and tolerability observed in future larger and more diverse populations may differ from current data; risks inherent in collaborations; production and supply chain risks; and changes in market competition.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, Fosun Pharma assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this release as the result of new information or future events or developments.

Teva Media Inquiries:
TevaCommunicationsNorthAmerica@tevapharm.com

Teva Investor Relations Inquires
TevaIR@Tevapharm.com

FAQ

What is TEV-56278 and how does it work?

TEV-56278 is an anti-PD1-IL2 ATTENUKINE therapy that selectively delivers IL-2 to PD-1+ T cells to enhance anti-tumor T-cell activity while minimizing systemic toxicities. It's currently in Phase 1 trials for various cancers including melanoma.

What are the terms of the Teva-Fosun Pharma partnership for TEV-56278?

Fosun Pharma receives exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize TEV-56278 in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and select Southeast Asian countries, while Teva maintains rights for all other global markets.

What stage of development is TEVA's TEV-56278 currently in?

TEV-56278 is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of various forms of cancer, including melanoma.

What potential advantages does TEV-56278 offer in cancer treatment?

TEV-56278 potentially offers high efficacy and low toxicity through its selective delivery of IL-2 to PD-1+ T cells, minimizing off-target systemic toxicities in cancer treatment.

How does this partnership affect TEVA's growth strategy?

The partnership advances Teva's Pivot to Growth strategy by accelerating clinical data generation through Fosun Pharma's development expertise and commercial capabilities in Asian markets.