Novartis ends $772M BioArctic brain-delivery partnership

Novartis has terminated its neurodegeneration alliance with BioArctic, a partnership that was valued at more than $772 million. The collaboration focused on using BioArctic’s BrainTransporter technology to develop a drug capable of crossing the blood‑brain barrier, combining the biotech’s platform with a proprietary Novartis antibody.

The agreement, which began last year when Novartis paid $30 million cash for a licensing option, is now fully discontinued, according to a BioArctic release. The biotech said the termination was not related to the BrainTransporter technology itself.

BioArctic’s platform continues to attract interest from other major pharma companies, including Eisai, Bristol Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly, indicating that the technology remains of interest despite the partnership ending.