Pain Licensing: Upfront Gains Fall As Deals Get More Experimental

229 alliance deals were signed in the pain management sector between 2012 and November 2016, worth more than $1bn in upfront payments and around $11bn in total potential value. But an increase in deals for riskier, earlier stage assets has pushed down upfront payment values for the sector, knocking it out of sync with other therapy areas.

Surprisingly, companies developing pain therapeutics – a well-served market – are also some of the most prolific researchers, with more than 341 Phase I to Phase III/IV active clinical trials as of November 2016. The sector has also signed 229 pain management-focused deals over the last five years, worth a combined $11bn in total potential value.

This value ranks pain partnerships as some of the most lucrative within the CNS field, according to data from Informa Pharma Intelligence's

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Scrip for daily insights

Start your 7-day free trial
Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
Access comprehensive global coverage
Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber?

Will Other Major MASH Deals Follow GSK/Boston Pharma?

15 May 2025

• By Joseph Haas

GSK’s $1.2bn payout for Boston Pharma’s efimosfermin is the first billion-dollar-plus MASH deal in nearly nine years, but several other advanced MASH programs could be positioned for takeout.

AbbVie Pays $335m Up Front To Partner With ADARx On siRNA Therapeutics

14 May 2025

• By Mandy Jackson

ADARx CEO Zhen Li told Scrip the collaborators will advance novel siRNA medicines, but ADARx retains its clinical-stage and many preclinical programs and remains open to more deals.

Bluebird, Private Equity Firms Look To Sweeten Buyout Deal

14 May 2025

• By Alaric DeArment

Shareholders are being offered a flat fee of $5 per share as an alternative to $3 plus a contingent value right, which could be a more attractive option if they want cash up front.

Novo Nordisk Looks To Septerna For Oral Obesity Options

14 May 2025

• By Mary Jo Laffler

Deal Snapshot: The Danish drugmaker is partnering with GPCR drug discovery expert Septerna to develop multiple small molecules for cardiometabolic targets.

Most Favored Nation Policy ‘Lazy, Misguided,’ But US Price Reforms Politically ‘Inevitable’

15 May 2025

• By Cathy Kelly

Policy experts and pharma executives react to President Trump’s executive order on “equalizing” drug prices between the US and comparable nations at the ISPOR 2025 conference.