Genmab’s development and pipeline diversification technique is choosing up one other piece via the acquisition of Merus in an $8 billion deal targeted on a late-stage drug candidate projected to develop into a blockbuster vendor in head and neck most cancers.
Monetary phrases of the acquisition settlement introduced Monday name for Genmab to pay $97 in money for every share of Merus, which represents a 41% premium to the inventory’s closing value on Friday.
Merus’s medicine are antibodies designed to hit a number of targets on most cancers cells. Lead drug candidate petosemtamab, or peto for brief, is a bispecific antibody that targets EGFR and LGR5, two proteins overexpressed on cells of sure forms of strong tumors. Along with inhibiting the 2 proteins and their roles in driving most cancers development, peto affords a 3rd mechanism of motion by prompting immune cells to focus on and kill the most cancers cells. Peto’s lead indication is head and neck most cancers. Whereas checkpoint inhibitors are accredited to deal with head and neck cancers, low response charges to the sort of immunotherapy depart an unmet want for sufferers.
In interim Part 2 outcomes, peto achieved a 60% general response price and a median length of response of 11 months. After the presentation of those knowledge through the annual assembly of the American Society of Scientific Oncology this previous June, business analysts stated the outcomes gave the Merus drug an edge over ficerafusp alfa, a bifunctional antibody from Bicara Therapeutics designed to focus on EGFR and a distinct protein known as TGF-beta.
The Bicara and Merus medicine have each reached pivotal testing in head and neck most cancers. Merus’s peto is being evaluated in two Part 3 research, one as a first-line therapy and the opposite as a second-line remedy. Genmab and Merus count on one or each research will yield knowledge in 2026. If all goes nicely, Genmab initiatives peto may attain the market in 2027. A separate Part 1/2 program is evaluating the drug in metastatic colorectal most cancers. Merus has stated it expects preliminary knowledge from this research within the second half of this 12 months.
Genmab focuses on antibody medicine. For years, its antibodies have reached sufferers as a part of medicine developed by bigger companions. The largest supply of Genmab’s income is the royalty Johnson & Johnson pays for Darzalex, the monoclonal antibody that has develop into a normal therapy for a number of myeloma. However Genmab has mapped out a method to develop and commercialize medicine it absolutely owns. Final 12 months, it paid $1.8 billion to purchase Profound Bio, developer of antibody drug conjugates for most cancers. Rina-S, an ovarian most cancers drug candidate from that deal, is anticipated to publish Part 2 knowledge in 2026. Acasunlimab, a bispecific antibody wholly owned by Genmab, is in improvement as a second-line therapy for non-small cell lung most cancers; Part 2 knowledge are anticipated by the top of this 12 months.
In a observe despatched to buyers, William Blair analyst Matt Phipps stated an acquisition was the probably path for Merus, however the agency anticipated such a deal wouldn’t come till peto’s Part 3 readout in 2026. In the meantime, Genmab advantages by getting a drug that William Blair initiatives may obtain peak gross sales of $3.8 billion within the head and neck most cancers indication alone.
“Whereas this deal is bigger than we had anticipated for Genmab, we view the opportunistic acquisition positively, because it provides to a number of different late-stage or accredited applications that may drive vital income development within the 2030s, surpassing the income peaks from royalties of Darzalex,” Phipps stated.
For the acquisition to undergo, Genmab could need to divest royalty rights for J&J drug Rybrevant, Leerink Companions analyst Andrew Behrens stated in a analysis observe. Genmab’s analysis led to the invention of Rybrevant and the corporate receives royalties from J&J’s gross sales of the product. Rybrevant is accredited as a first-line therapy non-small cell lung most cancers (NSCLC), however J&J can be testing this drug in colorectal most cancers, which overlaps with the potential utility of peto to this indication. Alternatively, Genmab could need to outlicense Merus’s MCLA-129, a bispecific antibody that goes after the identical targets as Rybrevant, Behrens stated. Part 1/2 research are ongoing for MCLA-129 in NSCLC and strong tumors.
Merus has one commercialized product. Late final 12 months, the FDA awarded accelerated approval to Bizengri, a bispecific antibody developed for treating non-small cell lung most cancers and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Companion Therapeutics licensed U.S. commercialization rights to this drug and owes Merus royalties from gross sales.
Genmab is funding the Merus acquisition with a mixture of its current money and $5.5 billion of latest debt financing. The boards of administrators of each firms have accredited the transaction, which is anticipated to shut early within the first quarter of 2026.
Illustration: Getty Pictures
