Celltrion struck a licensing and distribution agreement with Kaigene that could deliver up to $744 million in payments tied to two preclinical autoimmune antibody programs—KG006 and KG002. The pact grants Celltrion global rights to one asset and broad rights outside Greater China and Japan to another, positioning the biosimilar specialist to move into novel biologics development. The deal signals Celltrion’s strategic pivot from pure biosimilars toward proprietary antibody therapeutics and gives Kaigene a partner with manufacturing and commercialization scale. Potential milestone and royalty structures align incentives for rapid clinical development; investors will examine early translational data and regulatory strategies planned by the partners.