Pharma BD Deal Intelligence
Merck (NYSE: MRK) acquired VelosBio for $2.75 billion in cash, with the deal announced November 5, 2020 and completed December 18, 2020. The acquisition gave Merck VelosBio's lead asset, zilovertamab vedotin (VLS-101 / MK-2140), a first-in-class investigational antibody-drug conjugate targeting ROR1, a receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor expressed across hematologic and solid tumors. As of 2025 the program has advanced to pivotal development on the strength of Phase 2 data: the Phase 2 waveLINE-007 trial reported a 100% complete response rate at the 1.75 mg/kg dose in previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (Merck, Dec 2024), prompting initiation of the Phase 3 waveLINE-010 trial (zilovertamab vedotin plus R-CHP vs R-CHOP, ~1,046 patients) in frontline DLBCL in February 2025. In relapsed/refractory DLBCL, the Phase 2 portion of waveLINE-003 showed a 56.3% objective response rate with R-GemOx (ASCO 2025), with the study advancing to its Phase 3 portion. The ROR1 ADC enters a crowded B-cell lymphoma landscape contested by CD20xCD3 bispecifics, CD19 CAR-T, and competing ADCs.