CSL and Lilly Enter Licensing Agreement for Clazakizumab
Boston – February 18, 2026 – Cooley advised CSL Behring, a Delaware limited liability company and subsidiary of CSL Limited (CSL), on its exclusive licensing agreement with Eli Lilly and Company, granting certain rights to develop and commercialize clazakizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) monoclonal antibody. Under the terms of the agreement, CSL will retain exclusive rights to develop and commercialize clazakizumab to prevent cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage kidney disease.
CSL will receive an upfront payment of $100 million and be eligible to receive potential clinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments as well as royalties on global net sales. Closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions, including all applicable regulatory clearances.
A cross-office life sciences partnering team of Sarah Hogan, Kenneth Krisko, Michael Fernando, Lauren Leonard and Yuhan Wu advised CSL on the transaction, with Megan Browdie, Jonas Koponen, David Burns and Sharon Connaughton advising on antitrust matters and Natasha Leskovsek and Jessica Koffel advising on regulatory matters.
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