Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Delivered one small niche oncology approval (Zolinza/vorinostat) but the broader HDAC-inhibitor blockbuster thesis never materialized — pivotal trials in multiple myeloma and mesothelioma failed, and Zolinza itself remained a minor product line.
Full analysis, sources & comparables →"Aton Pharma Inc, under license from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, [is developing] SAHA, a cytodifferentiating agent and histone deacetylase…
Vorinostat was developed by Columbia University chemist Ronald Breslow and Memorial Sloan-Kettering researcher Paul Marks, who worked from observations on…
Vorinostat became "the first histone deacetylase inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of CTCL on October…
Source summaries from our enrichment pipeline; follow links for originals.
All 7 sources with sentiment breakdown →
April 2004; SAHA/vorinostat HDAC inhibitor; led to Zolinza FDA approval Oct 2006 for CTCL; deal value undisclosed
Delivered one small niche oncology approval (Zolinza/vorinostat) but the broader HDAC-inhibitor blockbuster thesis never materialized — pivotal trials in multiple myeloma and mesothelioma failed, and Zolinza itself remained a minor product line.
Assessment window: 15yr post-close.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Aton Pharma Inc. (this deal) | 2004 | — | 35 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Acceleron Pharma Inc. | 2021 | $11.5B | 90 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Peloton Therapeutics Inc. | 2019 | $2.2B | 88 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / AstraZeneca PLC | 2017 | $8.5B | 87 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Moderna, Inc. | 2022 | $250M | 86 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Moderna, Inc. | 2016 | $250M | 84 |
| Merck & Co. Inc. / Eisai Co., Ltd. | 2018 | $5.8B | 83 |
← Browse all deals · How we score deals
More: 2004 deals · Merck & Co. Inc. deals