On September 28, 2026 Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, and SciBrunch Therapeutics Co., Ltd. ("SciBrunch"), reported that they have entered into an exclusive global license agreement for SPR2015, an investigational preclinical oral KRAS G12D (ON) inhibitor.
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"Evidence continues to accumulate for the therapeutic potential of targeting the KRAS pathway, a well-characterized factor in tumor cell growth," said George Addona, senior vice president, discovery, preclinical development and translational medicine, Merck Research Laboratories. "This agreement complements and diversifies our expanding pipeline of precision targeted candidates with SPR2015, a potent engineered inhibitor for one of the most prevalent mutant forms of KRAS found in human cancers."
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.
"Since our founding, SciBrunch has remained focused on advancing innovative therapies targeting the RAS pathway and is committed to delivering transformative treatment options for patients with pancreatic, colorectal, lung, and other major malignant tumors," said Tao Hu, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of SciBrunch. "This agreement with Merck not only validates the R&D strength of our platform but also underscores the potential of SPR2015 in addressing longstanding unmet medical needs in oncology. We are excited that Merck, a global leader in oncology, will take SPR2015 forward."
Merck will record a pre-tax charge of $400 million, or approximately $0.13 per share, to be included in GAAP and non-GAAP results in the third quarter of 2026 related to this transaction.
About SPR2015
SPR2015 is a potent and selective novel investigational preclinical molecular glue KRAS G12D (ON) inhibitor that has demonstrated nanomolar antiproliferative activities in various KRAS G12D-mutant cell lines while maintaining good selectivity over KRAS wildtype cells. KRAS G12D is the most common oncogenic RAS mutation in human tumors which results from a substitution of glycine with aspartate at position 12. 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 (CDX/PDX) models, as reported in preclinical data presented at the 2026 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.
(Press release, Merck & Co, SEP 28, 2026, View Source [SID1234671112])