Eli Lilly announced a research and development collaboration with Chinese drug developer Abbisko Therapeutics potentially worth up to $1.9 billion. [6, 8] Abbisko will handle early-stage discovery and research for new therapies against targets chosen by Lilly, which then holds the option for further development. [6, 13]
Separately, a Lilly executive told Reuters that its oral GLP-1 drug, orforglipron, could be approved and launched in China as early as late 2026. [11, 12] This potential timeline is a significant step in the race to enter the world's second-largest drug market for obesity and diabetes treatments. [11] The company also revealed a new initiative to build an AI-driven drug discovery platform. [1]