Innovent Biologics and Eli Lilly and Company have entered a strategic collaboration agreement to accelerate the global development of new medicines in the fields of oncology and immunology.

The partnership represents the seventh agreement between the two companies and aims to expedite the delivery of new therapies to patients worldwide.

Under the agreement, Innovent will utilise its antibody technology platforms and clinical execution capabilities to lead research programmes from concept through clinical proof-of-concept, concluding at the Phase II clinical trial stage in China.

Lilly will hold exclusive rights to develop and commercialise these programmes outside Greater China while Innovent will retain all rights within Greater China.

Innovent will receive a $350m upfront payment under this agreement. The company is also eligible for development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments totalling up to approximately $8.5bn, subject to achieving designated milestones.

In addition, Innovent will obtain tiered royalties on net sales of each product outside Greater China.

Innovent founder, board chairman and CEO Dr Michael Yu said. “We're delighted to partner with Lilly, our trusted global pharmaceutical partner for over ten years, to pursue novel medicines to improve treatment outcomes for patients with cancer and immune disorders.

“This alliance moves beyond traditional licensing to create a seamless, end-to-end innovation ecosystem that combines our agile discovery and early-stage development engine with Lilly’s extensive global scale and creates a highly efficient model for cross-border synergy.

“This partnership validates Innovent’s R&D capabilities and allows us to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into impactful global medical solutions together with our partner, with the ultimate goal of bringing world-class medicines to patients across the globe.”

In December 2025, Innovent received China’s NMPA approval for the new drug application (NDA) for Tabosun (ipilimumab N01 injection), a CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody for colon cancer.