As part of this collaboration, Organon has acquired an equity interest in HUYA, which identifies, licenses and develops Chinese drug candidates. Under the collaboration agreement, HUYA will support Organon in the sourcing and development of pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical compounds in three specific therapeutic areas.
“This is an important strategic opportunity for Organon. It is consistent with our research strategy to forge closer links with China’s highly skilled and motivated scientists and significantly expands our own ongoing biotech research programs and capabilities,” said David Nicholson, executive vice president of R&D at Organon.
No financial details of the transaction were disclosed. The announcement follows other research collaborations that Organon has entered into with other leading Chinese biotech companies such as Shanghai Genomics and HD Biosciences in the last year.