Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Merck acquired EyeBio for $3.0B for ophthalmology.
Merck 8-K exhibit covering the EyeBio acquisition completion (FY2024).
Merck to acquire EyeBio for up to $3 billion including $1.3 billion upfront, gaining Restoret, a potentially first-in-class Wnt pathway agonist for diabetic…
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Merck (NYSE: MRK) acquired private retinal-disease biotech EyeBio (Eyebiotech Limited) in a deal announced May 29, 2024 and completed July 12, 2024. Merck paid approximately $1.3 billion in upfront cash to acquire all outstanding EyeBio shares, with up to an additional $1.7 billion payable in development, regulatory and commercial milestones, for total potential consideration of $3.0 billion. The acquisition marked Merck's entry into ophthalmology, adding EyeBio's lead candidate Restoret (EYE103, now MK-3000) -- a potentially first-in-class tetravalent, tri-specific antibody that acts as an agonist of the Wnt signaling pathway to restore the blood-retinal barrier and reduce vascular leakage -- plus preclinical candidates. Restoret is targeted at diabetic macular edema (DME) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Following the close, Merck advanced the program into two registrational Phase 2b/3 studies: BRUNELLO (NCT06571045) in DME, initiated September 4, 2024, and BAROLO (NCT06957080) in neovascular AMD.
| Deal | Year | Value | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck & Co. Inc. / EyeBio Ltd. (this deal) | 2024 | $3.0B | 61 |
| 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 |
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More: 2024 deals · Merck & Co. Inc. deals · Ophthalmology deals