GSK has formally ended one of the largest neuroscience licensing partnerships of the past decade, terminating its USD 2.2 billion collaboration with Alector after both partnered progranulin antibody programs failed in clinical development. GSK provided written notice on July 6, 2026 to terminate its Collaboration and License Agreement with Alector, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALEC), originally signed July 1, 2021. The termination becomes effective January 2, 2027 — the contractual 180-day minimum. The deal had covered two progranulin-elevating monoclonal antibodies: latozinemab, targeting frontotemporal dementia caused by a progranulin gene mutation (FTD-GRN), and nivisnebart, targeting early Alzheimer's disease.
What happened
The exit was forced by sequential clinical failures. In October 2025, latozinemab missed the co-primary endpoint in the Phase III INFRONT-3 trial in FTD-GRN patients. In April 2026, nivisnebart's Phase II PROGRESS-AD trial was discontinued following an interim futility analysis. With both assets clinically invalidated, GSK had no remaining basis to continue the collaboration. Alector also repaid USD 10.4 million in outstanding principal under the parties' financing arrangements.
The original 2021 deal paid USD 700 million upfront — USD 500 million at signing and USD 200 million in January 2022 — with up to USD 1.5 billion in additional milestones, for a total potential value of USD 2.2 billion.
Industry and transaction context
Two major pharmaceutical companies have now exited progranulin-focused development partnerships within the same quarter. In April 2026, Takeda similarly exited its co-development of Denali Therapeutics' progranulin program DNL593, a brain-penetrant progranulin replacement biologic using a different mechanism.