AbbVie is sharpening its immuno-oncology strategy with a potential $1.2 billion licensing deal for ZG006 (alveltamig), a trispecific T-cell engager developed by China’s Suzhou Zelgen Biopharmaceuticals, as competition intensifies around DLL3-targeted therapies.
Under the agreement, AbbVie secured global rights outside China to ZG006, paying $100 million upfront along with up to $60 million in near-term clinical and option-related payments. If AbbVie exercises its license option and the program advances, Zelgen is eligible to receive up to $1.075 billion in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, plus tiered royalties ranging from the high single digits to mid-double digits on ex-China sales. Zelgen retains full development and commercialization rights in China.
ZG006 is designed to bind two distinct DLL3 epitopes on tumor cells while simultaneously engaging CD3 on T cells, a trispecific architecture intended to enhance tumor targeting and immune activation compared with earlier bispecific approaches. DLL3 has emerged as a validated but still narrowly exploited target in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and other neuroendocrine tumors.
Currently, Amgen’s Imdelltra (tarlatamab) is the only FDA-approved DLL3-targeted therapy, cleared for patients with extensive-stage SCLC who have progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy. AbbVie’s move signals a push to leapfrog first-generation bispecifics by betting on more complex multispecific formats that could deliver deeper or more durable responses.
The ZG006 program is already advancing across multiple indications. Zelgen has launched a Phase III trial in relapsed SCLC comparing ZG006 with investigator-selected chemotherapy, alongside a Phase I first-line combination study with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in extensive-stage SCLC. A Phase II trial in neuroendocrine prostate cancer also began earlier this year, giving AbbVie a clinically active asset rather than a platform-stage bet.
Strategically, the deal reinforces AbbVie’s growing conviction that trispecific and multispecific antibodies represent a next frontier in immuno-oncology, particularly as conventional checkpoint inhibitors and single-target engagers face diminishing differentiation.
