Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
In June 2019 Gilead Sciences entered a strategic collaboration licensing Nurix Therapeutics' DELigase targeted protein degradation platform to discover and develop E3-ligase-based degrader therapies across up to five targets in cancer and other diseases. Nurix received a $45 million upfront payment and is eligible for up to ~$2.3 billion in research, preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercialization milestones, plus a co-develop/co-detail option on up to two US programs. The alliance has matured into the inflammation space: in April 2024 Gilead exercised its option to extend the research term by two years ($15M extension fee), and in April 2025 the FDA cleared the IND for the lead program GS-6791 (formerly NX-0479), an oral IRAK4 degrader for inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and atopic dermatitis; Gilead began a Phase 1 healthy-volunteer study in Q2 2025 and continues to advance it as of Q1 2026. The $5M IND-clearance milestone brought Nurix's cumulative receipts under the 2019 agreement to $135 million, with ~$420M in IRAK4-specific milestones still outstanding. NX-5948 (bexobrutideg), Nurix's BTK degrader, is wholly owned and NOT part of the Gilead collaboration.