Merck licenses SciBrunch cancer drug in deal worth up to $2.13 billion

Sept 28 — Merck said on Monday it would pay ​up to $2.13 billion under a global licensing deal with China's SciBrunch Therapeutics for ‌rights to develop, manufacture and sell an experimental cancer ⁠treatment.

The deal underscores Merck's ​efforts to broaden ⁠its cancer drug pipeline as it prepares ‌for patent ‌expirations on Keytruda, its top-selling immunotherapy, later ⁠this decade.

• The deal, ⁠which has closed, gives Merck access to SPR2015, an oral drug candidate targeting KRAS G12D, one of the most common cancer-driving mutations found in pancreatic, colorectal and ‌lung cancers.

• SciBrunch will ​receive an upfront payment of $400 million and is eligible for up to $1.73 billion in potential milestone payments, the companies said.

• Merck said the transaction will result in a pre-tax charge of $400 million, or about 13 ​cents per share, in its third-quarter 2026 ‌results.

• SPR2015 ‌is ⁠in preclinical development and has not yet entered human testing.

• Preclinical data presented earlier this year showed the drug reduced tumor growth ‌in laboratory and ​animal models of KRAS ‌G12D-mutant cancers, the ⁠companies ​said.

(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim ​Zahid)

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