Merck Licenses SciBrunch's KRAS Inhibitor for $2.13 Billion

Merck, known as MSD outside the U.S. and Canada, has entered into an exclusive global license agreement with Shanghai-based SciBrunch Therapeutics for SPR2015, a preclinical oral KRAS G12D (ON) inhibitor.

Under the deal, SciBrunch grants Merck worldwide rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize SPR2015. The transaction has already closed, with SciBrunch receiving a $400 million upfront payment.

Merk will record a pre-tax charge of $400 million in its Q3 2026 GAAP and non-GAAP results tied to the transaction. The total potential deal value, including the upfront, reaches $2.13 billion.

The agreement complements Merck's expanding pipeline of precision targeted candidates with SPR2015, a potent engineered inhibitor for one of the most prevalent mutant forms of KRAS found in human cancers.