AnaptysBio said it filed a motion asking a U.S. court to dismiss part of a claim by GSK plc’s oncology unit, escalating a dispute over royalties tied to sales of cancer drug Jemperli, a PD-1 inhibitor — a kind of immunotherapy that helps the immune system attack tumours. Tesaro sued AnaptysBio in Delaware in November seeking to terminate a 2014 licence and halve royalty and milestone payments, while AnaptysBio countersued and pointed to trials involving rival PD-1 drugs including Merck’s Keytruda; the case is set for a July 14–17 trial and the court is expected to hear the motion by early March, with royalties under the licence rising to 25% on annual sales above $2.5 billion through patents expiring in 2035-36. GSK did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and its U.S.-listed shares ended Friday up 0.3% at $50.39.
