MSD to Acquire Verona Pharma for $10 Billion
MSD, known as Merck & Co. in the US and Canada, recently announced it will acquire Verona Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on respiratory diseases, for approximately $10 billion.
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Cyprumed and MSD Enter Licensing Agreement for Oral Peptide Therapeutics
MSD receives a non-exclusive license for Cyprumed's drug delivery technology for developing oral peptide therapeutics.
29.04.2025 • News • Bioprocessing
Merck & Co. Breaks Ground on $1 Billion Biologics Center in US
Merck Wilmington Biotech will serve as a launch and commercial production facility and the future US home for Keytruda.
07.01.2025 • News
Merck & Co. Acquires Vaccine Site in Ireland from WuXi
As part of its long-term plans in the country, US drugmaker Merck & Co., operating as MSD outside of North America, has acquired WuXi Biologics’ site in Dundalk, Ireland, for about $500 million. The deal was announced through Ireland’s Foreign Direct Investment Agency (IDA) and MSD’s Ireland unit.
20.12.2024 • News
Merck & Co. Licenses Obesity Drug from Hansoh Pharma
US Merck & Co., operating as MSD outside the US and Canada, and Chinese biopharmaceutical company Hansoh Pharma have entered into an exclusive global license agreement for HS-10535, an investigational preclinical oral small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist. GLP-1 receptor agonists are primarily used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
15.11.2024 • News
Merck & Co. Licenses Investigational Cancer Drug from LaNova
US drugmaker Merck & Co. (MSD) has entered into a global license agreement to develop, manufacture and commercialize LM-299, a novel investigational PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody from Chinese biotechnology company LaNova Medicines.
14.10.2024 • News
Mestag Signs License and Research Deal with Merck & Co.
Mestag Therapeutics, a Cambridge, UK-headquartered biotech company working on new insights into fibroblast-immune interactions, has signed a license and collaboration agreement with US drugmaker Merck & Co., known as MSD outside of North America, to identify novel targets for the development of therapies against inflammatory diseases.
13.08.2024 • News
MSD to Buy B-Cell Depletion Therapy from Curon
Major US drugmaker MSD is to pay up to $1.3 billion to acquire CN201, a novel investigational clinical-stage bispecific antibody for the treatment of B-cell associated diseases, from biotechnology company Curon Biopharmaceutical.
07.08.2024 • News
Daiichi Sankyo and MSD Expand Global Collaboration
Japan's Daiichi Sankyo and US drugmaker MSD have expanded their existing global co-development and co-commercialization agreement for three investigational DXd antibody drug conjugates to include MSD’s MK-6070, a compound MSD obtained through its recent acquisition of Harpoon Therapeutics.
29.05.2024 • News
MSD to Acquire EyeBio for up to $3 Billion
US drugmaker Merck & Co. (MSD) has agreed to acquire privately held ophthalmology-focused biotechnology company Eyebiotech (EyeBio).
07.02.2024 • News
MSD Animal Health to Acquire Elanco’s Aqua Business
MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the aqua business of Elanco Animal Health Incorporated for €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) in cash. The acquisition is expected to be completed by mid-year 2024, subject to approvals from regulatory authorities and other customary closing conditions.
09.01.2024 • News
Merck & Co. to Acquire Harpoon Therapeutics for $680 Million
US Merck & Co., known as MSD outside of North America, intends to buy cancer drug developer Harpoon Therapeutics for $23.00 per share in cash for an approximate equity value of $680 million.
22.11.2023 • News
Merck & Co. to Acquire Caraway Therapeutics
Merck & Co. (MSD) and Caraway Therapeutics announced that the companies have agreed Merck & Co., through a subsidiary, will acquire Caraway Therapeutics for a total potential consideration of up to €557 million ($610 million), including an undisclosed upfront payment and contingent milestone payments.
20.10.2023 • News
Daiichi Sankyo and Merck & Co. Collaborate on Three DXd ADCs Worldwide
Daiichi Sankyo and Merck & Co. to co-develop and commercialize three of Daiichi Sankyo’s DXd antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates worldwide except for Japan where Daiichi Sankyo retains exclusive rights. Merck to pay Daiichi Sankyo up to €20.8 billion for the collaboration.
19.09.2023 • News
MSD Ireland Opens New Site in Dunboyne, Completes Expansion in Carlow
In Ireland, US drugmaker MSD has opened its new facility in Dunboyne, County Meath, and has expanded its Carlow site. MSD says it has invested more than €1 billion at both sites, creating 670 new jobs and increasing the number of employees in Ireland to 3,100. 100 of the newly created positions remain to be filled.
15.08.2023 • News
Astex and MSD Expand Drug Discovery Collaboration
UK-based Astex Pharmaceuticals, specialized in the discovery and development of novel small molecule therapeutics for oncology and diseases of the central nervous system, announced an exclusive worldwide research collaboration and license agreement with US drugmaker MSD (in the US, the company trades as Merck & Co).
19.04.2023 • News
US Merck Snaps up Prometheus Biosciences for $10.8 Billion
Shares of Prometheus Biosciences soared on news that US drugs major Merck will acquire the company in an all-cash deal valued at roughly $200 per share, or $10.8 billion.
14.04.2023 • News
US Merck Fails to Transfer all Talc Liability to Bayer
A move by US drugmaker Merck & Co. to have Bayer assume all liability for lawsuits alleging that the talc-based Dr. Scholl's foot powder causes cancer has failed, at least in the first instance.
12.04.2023 • News
Proxygen and US Merck Collaborate on Molecular Glue Degraders
Austrian biotech Proxygen has announced a multi-year collaboration and license agreement with US drugmaker Merck & Co to identify and develop molecular glue degraders against multiple therapeutic targets. The deal could be worth up to $2.55 billion for Proxygen, based on achieving certain milestones.
08.11.2022 • News
Pharma CEOs Take Action on Climate Change
The CEOs of seven multinational pharmaceutical companies have announced that they are taking joint action to achieve near-term emissions reduction targets and accelerate the delivery of net zero health systems.
04.10.2022 • News
Merck Grants Sinopharm Rights to Covid Pills
US drugs giant Merck & Co has granted Sinopharm exclusive import and distribution rights to its oral Covid treatment Lagevrio (molnupiravir) in China.
07.09.2022 • News
US Drugmaker Merck & Co. to Add Jobs in Ireland
US drugmaker Merck & Co. plans to add 100 new jobs as part of an expansion project at its site in Carlow, Ireland, which opened in 2008 as the company’s first vaccines facility outside of the US and currently employs 530 people.
14.06.2022 • News
Pfizer to Spend $120 Million on US Paxlovid Buildup
Pfizer will invest $120 million at its plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to support US production of its Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir) oral antiviral treatment for Covid-19. The company said the money will fund an expansion of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and registered starting materials (RSMs) used to produce the treatment and make it one of the world’s largest producers of APIs.
07.06.2022 • News
FDA Greenlights GSK’s MMR Vaccine
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has greenlit GSK’s Priorix-branded GSK’s mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) for people 12 months and older. It is only the second such shot to be licensed for US distribution in more than 50 years. Merck & Co’s MMR-II vaccine was approved by the FDA for the pediatric application in 1971.
02.03.2022 • News
Merck & Co Collaborates with Curve
US pharma group Merck & Co is collaborating with Curve Therapeutics, a privately-held UK biotech that has developed a proprietary functional drug discovery platform called Microcycle. The partners aim to discover and validate modulators of up to five therapeutic targets using Microcycle, initially for oncology and neurology indications.
03.12.2021 • News
FDA Advisory Panel Narrowly Votes for Lagevrio EUA
With a vote of 13 to 10, the Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee, an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration, narrowly decided to to recommend emergency use authorization (EUA) of the Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir (brand name Lagevrio) developed by US drugmaker by Merck &Co together with compatriot Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
01.12.2021 • News
Pfizer Lifts Paxlovid Capacity Before EUA is Granted
In response to new data published by rival Merck that downgrade earlier efficacy forecasts for its for Covid-19 oral antiviral treatment, Pfizer has announced will increase production capacity of its own antiviral pill Paxlovid as it waits for an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA.
05.11.2021 • News
UK’s MHRA Approves Merck & Co Covid Pill
The UK has “pipped the US at the post”, as one commentator noted in typical British colloquialism on the news that the country’s health regulator MHRA has approved the Covid-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir developed by US Merck & Co together with US biotech Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.
26.10.2021 • News
EMA Begins Rolling Review of Molnupiravir
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has begun a rolling review of US Merck & Co’s oral antiviral molnupiravir as a candidate to treat Covid-19. The EU drugs regulator said it would assess data as soon as it becomes available, before the company submits a formal application containing all the required safety and efficacy data.
12.10.2021 • News
Merck & Co Files for Oral Covid Antiviral EUA
US pharma giant Merck & Co has applied to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of its oral antiviral drug molnupiravir, developed together with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. The New Jersey-based pharma and the Florida-headquartered biotech are positioning the pill as a preventative therapy, rather than as a therapeutic, the latter a path other industry heavyweights are taking.
04.10.2021 • News
Merck & Co.’s $11.5 Billion Acceleron Deal May Face Hurdles
US drugs giant Merck & Co. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire publicly traded US biotech Acceleron Pharma for $180 per share, yielding a total equity value of roughly $11.5 billion. Not only because of the size of the transaction, the takeover plans are being closely watched. An activist investor or anti-trust authority could potentially upset the deal, reports suggest.
16.09.2021 • News • Innovation
Artificial Intelligence for New Drug Design
Digital tools are a key to shortening the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients and thus market-ready drugs and therapies.
22.06.2021 • News
US to Invest $3 Billion in Pandemic Stockpile
In conjunction with its American Rescue Plan, the administration of US president Joe Biden has announced its intention to spend $3 billion on building a stockpile of pharmaceuticals that can be used to treat Covid-19 and other viral threats of the future.
28.04.2021 • News
Drugs and Maybe Covid Vaccines Headed to India
As India’s Covid-19 infections soar and the death toll nears 200,000, wealthier countries – including the US, UK, Germany, France and Australia – are rushing supplies of oxygen, ventilators and protective gear to the subcontinent.
03.03.2021 • News
US Merck to Make Covid Vaccine for J&J
Another “Big Pharma” company with a stalled candidate of its own is stepping in to help boost national or regional Covid-19 vaccine supply. US president Joe Biden was due to announce on Mar. 2 that Merck & Co will help make the Johnson & Johnson single-shot vaccine that received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Feb. 27.
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