On June 1, Haisco Pharmaceutical announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Haisco Pharmaceutical Technology (Lhasa) Co., Ltd., signed a License and R&D Collaboration Agreement with Eli Lilly on May 29, 2026. The two parties will jointly advance innovative drug discovery and early-stage development across multiple therapeutic areas.

Under the agreement, Haisco will leverage its small-molecule innovation platform to conduct discovery and early R&D for up to five selected targets. Eli Lilly will obtain exclusive global rights, or global rights excluding mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, while Haisco retains regional rights in Greater China for certain programs.

The deal includes up to $87 million in upfront and near-term payments and up to $2.967 billion in milestone payments, in addition to tiered royalties based on future net sales.

In parallel development news, Haisco also announced that its intravenous anesthetic innovation Cipepofol Injection has received FDA approval for induction of general anesthesia in adults, marking a milestone for China-origin intravenous anesthetic innovation entering the U.S. market.

This collaboration marks Haisco’s first strategic partnership with Eli Lilly and represents another step in its global innovation strategy, strengthening its position in international drug development.

In recent years, Haisco has actively expanded global partnerships, including licensing FTP637 to Alumis (which later listed on NASDAQ), HSK31858 to Chiesi Group, a NewCo partnership with AirNexis exceeding $1 billion, and a Nav1.8 inhibitor deal with AbbVie worth up to $745 million.

To date, four of Haisco’s Class 1 innovative drugs have been approved and included in China’s national reimbursement list.