The second quarter in South Korea was marked by the return of several assets by licensing partners, including Thea Open Innovation, which gave back rights to two ophthalmic programs in-licensed from OliX. Merck & Co. also cancelled a co-research deal with Artiva Biotherapeutics.

The US approval of HLB and Hengrui’s liver cancer combination therapy looks set to be delayed after the FDA issues a CRL related mainly to CMC data, but the two companies appear positive on a quick resolution to the setback given a lack of other efficacy or safety concerns.

Among other Asia deals, Takeda adds to pair of recent gene therapy tie-ups with a CNS-focused cell therapy partnership with Immusoft; earlier it licensed ex-US rights to JCR’s Hunter syndrome drug.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Elsevier Business Intelligence’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment – In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type – Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing. This month’s column covers deals announced October through November 2013.