Merck Pays $400 Million Upfront for a Cancer Drug That Has Never Been in a Patient
The pharma giant is betting up to $2.13 billion on SPR2015, a preclinical KRAS G12D inhibitor from biotech SciBrunch Therapeutics, chasing one of oncology's most stubborn mutations before it has even reached a clinical trial.
Merck signed an exclusive global license agreement with SciBrunch Therapeutics for SPR2015, an oral KRAS G12D inhibitor still in preclinical testing, paying $400 million upfront with total potential payments reaching $2.13 billion tied to development and commercialization milestones. KRAS G12D is one of the most common cancer-driving mutations, showing up across pancreatic, colorectal, and lung cancers, and SPR2015 has shown nanomolar antiproliferative activity against it in lab models while sparing healthy cells.
The deal hands Merck exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the compound worldwide. A Merck executive called it a way to "complement and diversify" the company's precision oncology pipeline, while SciBrunch's chief executive framed the payout as validation of the biotech's own research platform and the drug's shot at "longstanding unmet medical needs in oncology."
Paying nine figures upfront for a molecule that has not reached a single patient is a bet on the target, not the trial data. If SPR2015 clears early human studies, Merck gets a head start in one of oncology's most competitive mutation classes; if it does not, the $400 million is already spent.
Source: Merck Newsroom
Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →
