Novartis, Abogen Sign RNA Therapeutics Deal With $575 Million Upfront, Up to $7.2 Billion in Milestones

04:11 AM EDT, 10/02/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Novartis (NOVN.SW) entered into a licensing and option agreement with Chinese drugmaker Abogen Biosciences that includes a $575 million upfront payment to advance RNA-encoded therapeutics, according to a Friday release. The Swiss drugmaker secured an exclusive worldwide license to ABO2203, an mRNA-encoded CD19xCD3 T-cell engager being developed to treat autoimmune diseases, as well as exclusive options to license other potential programs leveraging Abogen's proprietary RNA platform. If all options on all programs are exercised, Abogen could receive up to $7.2 billion in potential milestone payments from Novartis, subject to development, regulatory and commercial milestones.