Merck KGaA has announced that it will be acquiring SpringWorks Therapeutics for approximately $3.9bn.
The definitive agreement gives the German group access to SpringWorks’ rare tumour portfolio, including a drug that was approved in the US earlier this year to treat neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).
Gomekli (mirdametinib) was specifically authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration in February to treat adult and paediatric patients aged two years and older who have symptomatic plexiform neurofibromas that cannot be removed surgically.
The US biopharma has also already received FDA approval for Ogsiveo (nirogacestat) to treat progressing desmoid tumours in adults who require systemic treatment.
Merck’s chief executive officer and executive board chair, Belén Garijo, described the acquisition as a “major step in [the company’s] active portfolio strategy”.
“For our healthcare sector, it sharpens the focus on rare tumours, accelerates growth and strengthens our presence in the US,” she said.
Also commenting on the deal, Saqib Islam, SpringWorks’ chief executive office, said: “We believe that by joining forces with Merck, we are not only creating significant, immediate value for our stakeholders, but we will also be able to leverage their resources and expertise to build a brighter future for the patient communities we seek to serve while also creating new opportunities for SpringWorks employees as part of a global organisation.”
The announcement comes just one month after Merck paid Abbisko Therapeutics $85m for global commercialisation rights to pimicotinib, an investigational therapy for patients with tenosynovial giant cell tumours (TGCT).
The companies shared positive results from a late-stage trial of pimicotinib in November, demonstrating that the candidate significantly improved the primary endpoint of objective response rate versus placebo in patients with the non-malignant and often recurring tumours of the joints.
Andrew Paterson, chief marketing officer for the Healthcare business sector of Merck, said the Abbisko deal “underscores [the company’s] commitment to advancing new treatment options in rare oncology for patients who need them”.
“With this important step forward, we aim to transform the treatment landscape and offer hope to those living with TGCT, who today have very limited treatment options,” he added.
