Merck to acquire Curon Biopharmaceutical’s B-Cell Depletion Therapy
Natalia Elliot | August 12, 2024 | News story | Research and Development | Corporate, Curon Biopharmaceuticals, Merck, Oncology, b-cells
Merck have announced that they have entered into an agreement with private biotechnology company Curon Biopharmaceuticals to acquire CN201, a novel investigational clinical-stage bispecific antibody for the treatment of B-cell associated diseases.
Through a subsidiary, Merck have agreed on full global rights to CN201 for an upfront payment of $700m in cash. In association with the regulatory and developmental approvals of CN201, Curon are eligible to receive up to $600m.
“We continue to identify opportunities to expand and diversify our pipeline,” said Dr Dean Y. Li, president, Merck Research Laboratories. “Early clinical data have provided robust evidence for the potential of CN201 to target and deplete circulating and tissue B cells with the potential to treat a range of malignant and autoimmune diseases.”
CN201 is currently being evaluated in phase 1 and phase 1b/2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), respectively.
Preliminary data suggest CN201 has activity in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell hematologic malignancies with the potential to induce significant and sustained reductions in B-cell populations, and is well tolerated.
Merck plans to evaluate CN201 as a treatment for B-cell malignancies as well as investigate its potential to provide a novel, scalable option for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Natalia Elliot
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