Merck secures $2.13B cancer drug license from SciBrunch

Merck & Co., Inc. has closed a licensing agreement with Shanghai-based SciBrunch Therapeutics Co., Ltd. for the worldwide rights to SPR2015, an experimental preclinical cancer drug. The deal includes an upfront payment of $400 million, with the total potential value reaching up to $2.13 billion through development, commercialization, and other milestones.

SPR2015 is an oral molecular-glue inhibitor designed to target the KRAS G12D mutation, which is associated with tumor cell growth. While laboratory models have shown antiproliferative activity and antitumour effects, the drug has not yet entered human testing, and no human efficacy or safety results are currently available.

This transaction is part of a broader trend of major US pharmaceutical companies licensing medicines developed by Chinese biotechnology firms. Other recent high-value deals in the sector include significant licensing agreements between companies like Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Eli Lilly with various Chinese biotech entities.