BMS stimulates cancer drug hopes with giant collaboration
Immunooncology pioneer will pay up to $3.6bn in hope Nektar drug will help non-responders
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is gambling on a seemingly record-breaking collaboration to develop a new immuno-stimulant drug so that its checkpoint inhibitor therapies help more cancer patients. The New York-headquartered pharma giant could pay US compatriot, San Francisco-based Nektar Therapeutics, up to $3.6 billion (£2.6 billion) to support clinical trials of and buy rights to NKTR-214.