Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 25, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Royalty Pharma will pay up to $950M for royalties from Amgen's lung cancer drug, Imdelltra, enhancing its oncology portfolio.
(Reuters) -Royalty Pharma has agreed to buy a royalty interest in Amgen's drug for small cell lung cancer from BeOne Medicines for up to $950 million, it said on Monday.
The deal gives Royalty Pharma access to roughly 7% of global net sales of the therapy, Imdelltra, which won U.S. approval last year for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer who have failed chemotherapy.
Royalty Pharma will pay $885 million upfront, while Chinese drug developer BeOne will retain an option to sell an additional portion for up to $65 million within the next 12 months. BeOne, formerly known as BeiGene, will keep commercial rights to the therapy in China.
The royalties from the drug are expected to last until between 2038 and 2041.
This agreement strengthens Royalty Pharma's portfolio of oncology-related royalty streams, the company said. In 2022, it had bought royalty interests in Roche’s lung cancer drug Gavreto for up to $340 million.
Amgen's Imdelltra reduced the risk of death by 40% compared with chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer patients whose disease had worsened after an initial round of chemo, according to interim data in June from a late-stage trial.
Imdelltra sales reached $215 million in the first half of the year and are projected to exceed $2.8 billion by 2035 based on analyst consensus, Royalty Pharma said.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)
A royalty is a payment made to the owner of a property, such as a patent or copyright, for the right to use that property. In finance, it often refers to payments made for the use of intellectual property.
A portfolio is a collection of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, and other investments held by an individual or institution. It is managed to achieve specific investment goals.
Equity represents ownership in a company, typically in the form of shares. Shareholders benefit from the company's profits and may have voting rights in company decisions.
Debt instruments are financial assets that represent a loan made by an investor to a borrower. They include bonds, notes, and mortgages, and typically involve interest payments.
Investment is the act of allocating resources, usually money, in order to generate income or profit. It can involve purchasing assets like stocks, bonds, or real estate.
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