AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company, and Daiichi Sankyo, a global pharmaceutical company and the second largest pharmaceutical company in Japan, entered collaboration for trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201), a proprietary antibody-drug conjugate and potential new targeted medicine for cancer treatment. Under the terms of the agreement, AstraZeneca will pay Daiichi Sankyo an upfront payment of $1.35bn, half of which is due upon execution, with the remainder payable 12 months later. Contingent payments of up to $5.55bn include $3.8bn for potential successful achievement of future regulatory and other milestones, as well as $1.75bn for sales-related milestones. George Nakayama, Representative Director, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Daiichi Sankyo, said: “Trastuzumab deruxtecan is the flagship asset in our oncology pipeline created by our relentless pursuit of science and technology, the most important strengths of our company. Through the strategic collaboration with AstraZeneca, a company with a wealth of global experience and expertise in oncology, we will combine our respective skill sets to maximise the value of trastuzumab deruxtecan and accelerate the establishment of our global oncology business. By aiming to provide new treatment options across a wide range of cancers as soon as possible, we will maximise our contribution to patients with cancer and their families around the world.”