In return for a record-breaking US$710 M upfront fee, Celgene has licensed global rights to develop and commercialise Nogra Pharma’s GED-0301, an oral antisense DNA oligonucleotide targeting Smad7 mRNA that has completed a Phase II trial in patients with active Crohn’s disease. Data from the trial are keenly awaited by industry analysts. For Celgene, the deal is aimed at strengthening the company’s nascent portfolio in inflammation and immunological diseases led by Otezla® (apremilast), which was approved by the US FDA in March 2014 for active psoriatic arthritis.