2026.03.05
On March 4, 2026, Deqi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Deqi Pharmaceutical) and the global biopharmaceutical company UCB announced that Deqi Pharmaceutical will grant UCB exclusive rights to globally develop, produce and commercialize the CD19/CD3 bispecific T-cell engager antibody ATG-201, including the related manufacturing technology licenses.
For granting UCB the licensing rights, Deqi Pharmaceutical will receive a total of USD 80 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments, including a USD 60 million upfront payment and an additional USD 20 million in near-term milestone payments (subject to certain conditions). Deqi Pharmaceutical is expected to receive milestone payments exceeding USD 1.1 billion in the future, based on development and commercialization progress, along with tiered royalties based on future net sales.
ATG-201 is a bispecific T-cell engager targeting CD19 with steric hindrance masking technology and is designed to eliminate CD19-expressing B cells. This molecule achieves dual specificity by simultaneously binding to CD3 on T cells and CD19 on B cells, thereby mobilizing the body's immune system for precise and potent intervention in B cell-driven diseases.
Deqi Pharmaceutical's independently developed AnTenGager™ platform employs a unique T-cell engager design strategy: when not bound to the target antigen, the CD3 binding arm is masked by a steric hindrance mechanism, maintaining the drug's potent activity while achieving better tolerability and safety.
JunHe was entrusted by Deqi Pharmaceutical to review, amend and negotiate the agreement for this project. JunHe's team earned the trust and recognition of the client with its consistently efficient, rigorous work style and its meticulous, dedicated service attitude.
The lead partner for this project was ZHU, Jian (James J. Zhu） and the main handling partner was ZHAO, Hao (Gerry).
