MSD, closer to reinforcing its oncology portfolio

The pharmaceutical giant MSD approaches the acquisition of the Seagen companyfocused on cancer drugs.

According to the information pointed to by the Wall Street Journalthe amount of the operation would reach 40,000 million dollars (39,267.5 million euros).

The operation would allow the American multinational rbolster your cancer drug portfolio. In fact, Seagen has an innovation to treat breast cancer, a product that has received approval in the United States and Europe.

The published information indicates that the companies are negotiating a price per share of 200 dollars (196.3 euros). It is expected that this Thursday, coinciding with the presentation of MSD results, more details will be known.

Relations between MSD and Seagen already existed. In 2020, MSD acquired five million shares of Seagen for 1,000 million dollars (949.62 million euros).

It is expected that this Thursday, coinciding with the presentation of MSD results, more details will be known

In addition, the drugmaker also paid $600 million (€569.77 million) up front for Seagen’s LIV-1-targeted antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), including the more advanced ladiratuzumab vedotin.

Beyond this, the two companies have also signed several agreements. Specifically, they bound into Seagen’s HER2 small-molecule drug Tukysa. MSD also owns the rights to Tukysa in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

However, as explained by the aforementioned media, the agreement between the two companies could be complicated because the United States Federal Trade Commission is tightening review of mergers and acquisitions of large pharmaceutical companies.

COMMITMENT TO CANCER

Keytrudaits best-selling cancer drug in the world, is one of MSD’s clear commitments to consolidate its leadership in oncology.

In its firm commitment to cancer, Merck has also ensured over 80 oncology approvals by 2028. This adds to the existing 46 approved US indications from Merck’s oncology portfolio. More than 30 of them belong to Keytruda and the company expects to double the number in the next few years.

Keytruda recently reached the milestone of one million commercial patients and its expansion could be accelerated to reach two million patients by the end of 2024. In this regard, moving into early-stage cancers represents a key avenue for future growth of Keytruda. With 17,200 million dollars (16,061.4 million euros) in sales, Keytruda was the world’s best-selling cancer drug in 2021.

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