Sept. 21 Quick Takes: Germany’s Merck in deal with Nerviano for PARP1 inhibitor

Under a new deal with Nerviano Medical Sciences s.r.l., Merck KGaA (Xetra:MRK) has gained an option to obtain rights to NMS-293, a clinical inhibitor of PARP1 the partners described as being highly selective for its target and more brain-penetrant than earlier-generation PARP inhibitors. Merck is to pay up to $65 million in upfront cash and option fees, and Nerviano is eligible for undisclosed milestones and royalties. Selective PARP1 inhibition is at the forefront of the growing DNA damage repair (DDR) field, in which Merck already has a pipeline.

Spun out of Tetherex Pharmaceuticals Inc. this year, Moat Biotechnology Corp. is among several companies testing the idea that stimulating an antiviral immune response at the viral point of entry with a mucosal vaccine platform may improve efficacy. Tetherex CEO Scott Rollins and COO Russell Rother founded the vaccine company around a single-cycle adenovirus vaccine platform (SC-AdVAX) that Tetherex had licensed from the Mayo Clinic. Moat has an initial investment from Cortado Ventures in a funding round targeting $20 million, which will go toward expanding a Phase I study of an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine booster and starting two additional vaccine development programs. ...