Vertex licensed worldwide rights to four oncology research programs (two clinical-stage ATR inhibitors VX-970 and VX-803 plus two preclinical DDR programs) to Merck KGaA. Vertex received $230M upfront plus up to ~$1B in development/commercial milestones plus tiered royalties up to 25% on clinical-stage programs (less than 10% on preclinical). The deal allowed Vertex to focus on cystic fibrosis and gene editing.
Key facts
AnnouncedJan 12, 2017
ClosedJan 12, 2017
Deal value$1.2B
Deal typeLicensing/Option
Therapeutic areaSolid tumors (multiple)
IndicationsSolid tumors (multiple)
Key assetsVX-970 (berzosertib); VX-803 plus two preclinical DDR programs
MechanismATR (ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related) protein kinase inhibitors plus undisclosed DNA damage response targets