Merck & Co. Inc. / Curon Biopharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
2024 · Asset Purchase · $1.3B · Complete
Announcement Sentiment
88
Strongly positive
Merck entered a definitive agreement to acquire global rights to CN201 from Curon Biopharmaceutical for $700M upfront plus up to $600M in milestones contingent on development and regulatory approval. The acquisition was completed on October 1, 2024 (Merck recorded a pre-tax charge of ~$750M reflecting the upfront payment and related costs). CN201 is a CD3xCD19 bispecific T-cell engager in Phase 1 for r/r NHL and Phase 1b/2 for r/r B-ALL, with potential in B-cell autoimmune diseases. Top-25 pharma buyer.