Global Briefs: Merck & Co., Roche, Lilly & More
A roundup of news from the large and mid-sized bio/pharmaceutical companies featuring Merck & Co., Roche, Eli Lilly and Company, AbbVie, Tanabe Pharma, and PhRMA. Highlights below.
For the latest news roundup on small and Emerging Pharma companies, see Biotech Briefs.
Partnering News
* Merck & Co., SciBrunch Therapeutics in $2.1-Bn Oral Oncology Drug Deal
* Roche, Earendill Labs in $1.5-Bn Bispecific Antibody Oncology Drug Pact
* AbbVie, Valkai in AI Platform Deal For Clinical Development
* Tanabe Pharma, Tolerance Bio in $560-M Licensing Deal for mAb for Immune Diseases
Appointments
* PhRMA Appoints New CEO
ESG News
* Lilly Announces New Obesity Prevention Initiative
Partnering News
Merck & Co., SciBrunch Therapeutics in $2.1-Bn Oral Oncology Drug Deal
Merck & Co. and SciBrunch Therapeutics, a Shanghai-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have entered into an exclusive global license agreement for SPR2015, an investigational preclinical oral oncology drug, in a deal worth up to $2.1 billion ($400 million upfront and $1.7 billion in milestone payments).
SPR2015 is a selective investigational preclinical molecular glue KRAS G12D (ON) inhibitor that has shown nanomolar antiproliferative activities in various KRAS G12D-mutant cell lines while maintaining good selectivity over KRAS wildtype cells, according to information from Merck. KRAS G12D is the most common oncogenic RAS mutation in human tumors. This change leaves KRAS active and continuously signaling for cell proliferation and survival. In addition, SPR2015 has demonstrated compelling antitumor efficacy as a monotherapy across multiple in vivo cell-derived and patient-derived xenograft models, according to the company.
Under the agreement, SciBrunch has granted Merck exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize SPR2015 worldwide. SciBrunch will receive an upfront payment of $400 million and is eligible to receive payments associated with the achievement of certain milestones related to development, commercialization, and other activities across multiple indications. The total potential aggregate value of the transaction, including the upfront payment, is $2.13 billion. The transaction has closed.
Source: Merck & Co.
Roche, Earendill Labs in $1.5-Bn Bispecific Antibody Oncology Drug Pact
Roche’s Genentech and Earendil Labs, an AI-focused bio/pharmaceutical company advancing biologics, have announced a research collaboration to discover and develop multiple therapeutic bispecific antibody programs in oncology, in a deal worth up to $1.5 billion ($55 million upfront and $1.5 billion in milestone payments).
Under the collaboration, Earendil Labs will lead antibody discovery and research through the early clinical development stage for antibody programs directed to certain pre-agreed target combinations. Genentech will assume responsibility for subsequent global clinical development and commercialization of such antibody programs arising from the collaboration.
Earendil Labs will receive a $55 million upfront payment. The total potential value of the collaboration, including upfront, development, regulatory and sales milestone payments in excess of $1.5 billion. Earendil Labs is also eligible to receive tiered royalties on net product sales. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions.
Source: Earendill Labs
AbbVie, Valkai in AI Platform Deal For Clinical Development
AbbVie is investing in its artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure through a new partnership with Valkai, a life sciences AI platform. Through its partnership with Valkai, AbbVie will deploy AI capabilities designed to improve efficiency across targeted areas of clinical research, help teams generate insights more quickly, and support opportunities to reduce development timelines.
Source: AbbVie
Tanabe Pharma, Tolerance Bio in $560-M Licensing Deal for mAb for Immune Diseases
Tanabe Pharma, an Osaka, Japan-based bio/pharmaceutical company, has granted Tolerance Bio, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company focused on immune diseases, an exclusive worldwide license agreement granting Tolerance Bio worldwide development rights and exclusive commercialization rights outside Japan for MT-2990 (now TLB-33), a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody (mAb) for treating immune conditions, in a deal worth up to $560 million.
TLB-33/MT-2990 is a clinical-stage human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) mAb that binds to and neutralizes interleukin-33 (IL-33), an immune system-related cytokine. Dysregulated IL-33 signaling has been implicated in inflammatory pathways believed to contribute to thymic dysfunction and the progressive decline of immune function with age as well as acute thymic involution in certain immune conditions. Tolerance Bio is developing a pipeline of therapies targeting thymus biology, including biologics, thymus-targeted mRNA, and thymus-cell therapies.
Under the agreement, Tanabe Pharma has granted Tolerance Bio exclusive rights to develop and manufacture TLB-33 worldwide across all indications and to commercialize it outside Japan. Tanabe Pharma retains commercialization rights in Japan. The license includes potential development and sales milestone payments of up to approximately $560 million, as well as equity consideration and tiered royalties on net sales.
Source: Tolerance Bio
Appointments
PhRMA Appoints New CEO
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the US-based industry trade association representing innovator drug companies, has announced that Eric Cantor, currently Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Moelis & Company, a global investment bank, and former Majority Leader of the US House of Representatives, has been named the organization’s next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective November 9, 2026.
Cantor represented Virginia in the US House of Representatives from 2000 to 2014 and served as House Majority Leader from 2011 to 2014. Since leaving Congress, Cantor has served as Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Moelis & Company, an investment firm. He has also served as a member of its Board of Directors, a role in which he will continue to serve while in his new position at PhRMA.
Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
ESG News
Lilly Announces New Obesity Prevention Initiative
Eli Lilly and Company is launching the Lilly Change the Course Commitment, a new global health initiative that aims to achieve parity in patients treated with Lilly’s diabetes and obesity medicines for patients in resource-limited settings, including low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) before 2040. The initiative includes Foundayo (orforglipron), Lilly’s oral treatment that can be stored at room temperature, which facilitates distribution in LMICs.
The announcement follows the completion of the Lilly 30×30 global health initiative, which helped expand access to quality healthcare for 40 million people in resource-limited settings in 2025, surpassing its original goal of helping 30 million people annually by 2030, five years ahead of schedule.
Source: Eli Lilly and Company
