Merck Puts Big Bet on KRAS Inhibitor Deal
Pharmaceutical giant Merck has secured exclusive global rights to SPR2015, an oral KRAS G12D inhibitor, from SciBrunch Therapeutics. The agreement covers SPR2015 at the preclinical stage and adds a targeted oncology candidate focused on the KRAS G12D mutation to Merck's pipeline.
Merk described the deal as a multi-billion dollar commitment aimed at expanding its future oncology pipeline. Management is paying US$400 million upfront, with up to US$2.13 billion in potential total value, to deepen the oncology pipeline around this hard-to-treat mutation.
This move signals Merck's push to build more than 20 new growth drivers before Keytruda's exclusivity loss becomes a bigger issue. The company is licensing SPR2015 to widen its future options rather than relying on any single drug or vaccine.