Novartis Ends BioArctic Brain-Drug Pact
Novartis has discontinued its brain-penetrant therapy collaboration with Swedish biotech BioArctic, which says the decision was unrelated to its BrainTransporter technology.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Alzheimer’s
Novartis has discontinued its collaboration with BioArctic on a brain-penetrant therapy, BioArctic announced Monday. BioArctic said Novartis made the decision and that it was unrelated to the BrainTransporter technology.
Why it matters
The termination removes one partner from BioArctic's effort to move antibodies across the blood-brain barrier, a key hurdle for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. BioArctic continues to hold partnerships with Bristol Myers Squibb, Eisai, and Eli Lilly, which keeps its platform in active development.
Novartis paid $30 million upfront and was eligible to pay up to $772 million in milestones under the original deal, according to the terminated agreement's disclosed terms. The company did not explain its reasons for ending the program, and the status of the undisclosed antibody candidate remains unclear.
The players
Novartis
Novartis is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel with a large portfolio of drugs across neurology, immunology, and oncology.
BioArctic
BioArctic is a Swedish biotechnology company based in Stockholm that develops antibody therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and is known for its BrainTransporter platform.
Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb is a major American pharmaceutical company that licensed BioArctic's experimental pyroglutamate-amyloid-beta antibodies in 2024.
Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly is a large American pharmaceutical company that is working with BioArctic on a neurodegenerative disease candidate built on the BrainTransporter technology.
Eisai
Eisai is a Japanese pharmaceutical company with a long-standing partnership with BioArctic that was extended shortly before the Bristol Myers Squibb deal.
The details
Novartis had paid $30 million upfront to BioArctic to build a therapeutic candidate by coupling BioArctic's BrainTransporter platform with an undisclosed Novartis antibody. BioArctic said Novartis made the decision to discontinue the program and that it was unrelated to the BrainTransporter technology.
Timeline
2024: BioArctic licensed experimental pyroglutamate-amyloid-beta antibodies to Bristol Myers Squibb for $1.3 billion.
About one year before termination: Novartis and BioArctic began their collaboration.
Monday: BioArctic announced Novartis had discontinued the program.
Health Landscape
The setback sits alongside BioArctic's BrainTransporter platform, which is designed to carry antibodies past the blood-brain barrier, a long-standing obstacle in Alzheimer's drug development. BioArctic's continued deals with Bristol Myers Squibb, Eisai, and Eli Lilly indicate that interest in the platform persists despite one partner's exit.
For people living with or caring for someone with Alzheimer's, the outcome means that the BrainTransporter-based candidates still in development with Eli Lilly and Bristol Myers Squibb remain the near-term pipeline to watch. Readers should not expect any change to available treatments from this termination alone, since no approved product is involved.
The takeaway
A single partner exiting a drug-development collaboration does not necessarily signal a problem with the underlying technology, and BioArctic's ongoing deals suggest its platform continues to draw interest. Readers following Alzheimer's treatment progress should watch for results from the remaining partnerships rather than this termination alone.
Further reading
For more on the research behind these treatments, see our Alzheimer’s coverage.
