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Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd (CTTQ), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (HKEX: 1177), entered into an exclusive license agreement with French giant Sanofi S.A. (Euronext: SAN). The deal confers global development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights to Sanofi in relation to Chia Tai’s rovadicitinib, a first-in-class oral small-molecule JAK/ROCK dual-target inhibitor, a molecule already approved and marketed in China under the brand name Anxu. The deal carries a total potential value of up to USD 1.53 billion, with Sino Bio eligible to receive an upfront payment of USD 135 million, plus development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments of up to USD 1.395 billion. Sanofi will also pay up to double-digit tiered royalties on annual net sales. Deal context Rovadicitinib is a dual inhibitor of the JAK/STAT and ROCK signaling pathways. By targeting JAK, the molecule suppresses inflammatory cytokine signaling from myeloid cells. Concurrent ROCK inhibition modulates STAT3/STAT5 phosphorylation, downregulating overactivated Th17 cells and enhancing regulatory T cell function to restore immune homeostasis. This dual mechanism produces synergistic anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. Chi Tai secured a first approval for rovadicitinib in China in February 2026, indicated as a first-line treatment for adult patients with intermediate-2 or high-risk primary myelofibrosis (PMF), post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (PPV-MF), or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (PET-MF). In chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), the molecule has advanced to Phase III in China, where it received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the CDE in August 2025. In the US, rovadicitinib has been cleared to conduct Phase II clinical studies in cGVHD. Phase Ib/IIa data published in Blood demonstrated superior 12-month failure-free survival and enhanced responses in fibrosis-dominated organs compared to other approved therapies, along with potential to overcome ruxolitinib resistance. For Sanofi, the deal is the latest in a string of in-licensing from Chinese innovators, including an August 2022 collaboration with Innovent Biologics on oncology assets and a March 2022 agreement with Adagene valued at up to approximately USD 2.5 billion for masked antibody technology. Sanofi also acquired Kadmon Holdings in 2021, gaining belumosudil (Rezurock), an approved selective ROCK2 inhibitor for cGVHD. The addition of rovadicitinib, a JAK/ROCK inhibitor, complements belumosudil’s ROCK-only mechanism in the same indication. The rovadicitinib JAK ROCK inhibitor enters a competitive landscape shaped by several approved agents. In myelofibrosis, Incyte’s ruxolitinib (Jakafi), a JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor licensed to Novartis for ex-US rights under a 2009 deal, remains the standard of care. Bristol Myers Squibb markets fedratinib (Inrebic), a JAK2 inhibitor, and CTI BioPharma’s pacritinib, acquired by SOBI in 2023, targets JAK2/FLT3 in patients with thrombocytopenia. In cGVHD specifically, Sanofi’s own belumosudil and Incyte’s ruxolitinib hold approvals. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website

Sanofi hopes to employ compete with key market players in the Sanofi has taken a chance on Sino Biopharmaceutical’s first-in-class, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic asset, rovadicitinib, through a licensing agreement worth up to $1.53bn. As part of this deal, Sanofi will pay $135m upfront for the global development, manufacturing and commercialisation rights to Sino’s novel Janus kinase (JAK)/Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor pill, rovadicitinib, which was developed by Sino’s subsidiary, Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group. This agreement also sees Sanofi commit up to $1.39bn towards potential development, regulatory and sales-based milestone payments – taking the total value up to $1.53bn. The Hong Kong-based pharma is also eligible to receive up to double-digit tiered royalties on the drug’s annual net sales. Rovadicitinib is currently marketed in China under the brand name Anxu. The drug originally gained approval for the frontline treatment of three types of rare bone marrow cancer, myelofibrosis, in February 2026. This regulatory greenlight made the drug the first dual JAK/ROCK inhibitor to reach the global market. Sanofi hopes, however, that it will show promise in chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) for post-transplant patients. In a statement to Pharmaceutical Technology , a Sanofi spokesperson said: “This will be part of our transplant franchise, where we have developed strong expertise and a solid reputation.” “The aim is to complement Rezurock (belumosudil), a demonstration of our continued commitment to patients with cGvHD, a population that continues to face significant unmet medical needs”. GlobalData Strategic Intelligence US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate? Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis. By GlobalData Learn more about Strategic Intelligence A recent paper published in Haematologica estimates that between 20-50% of patients who have received a transplant will develop GVHD. Rovadicitinib’s GVHD potential Chia Tai is already exploring the potential of rovadicitinib through a China-based Phase III trial (NCT06682169) in GVHD, which the company plans to primarily complete in October 2029, as per ClinicalTrials.gov. Outside of China, Sino has also secured approval from US regulators to conduct a Phase II clinical study on rovadicitinib in GVHD within the country. Rovadicitinib acts through a two-pronged approach, as the drug blocks both the JAK/STAT and ROCK pathways. This dual mechanism directly influences the production of inflammatory cytokines while downregulating overactive T-regulatory cells to promote immune balance. Currently, there are multiple blockbuster drugs that have gained approval across the GVHD indication, including Novartis and Incyte’s JAK1/2 inhibitor, Jakavi (ruxolitinib) and Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, Imbruvica (ibrutinib). However, both Imbruvica and Jakavi are soon to experience a loss of market exclusivity, which could open the market up for other, differentiated pipeline candidates. According to GlobalData, parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology , there are 201 ongoing clinical trials between Phase I and III exploring the potential of various monotherapies and combinations for the treatment of GVHD .