Exterior view of the entrance to Merck headquarters on February 05, 2024 in Rahway, New Jersey.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
Merck will acquire Cidara Therapeutics in a nearly $9.2 billion deal, the companies said on Friday, gaining access to an experimental drug for flu prevention.
Merck is looking to diversify its revenue beyond Keytruda as its patents for the blockbuster drug start to expire later this decade.
Since 2021, the company has nearly tripled its late-stage pipeline, combining in-house development with deals such as the $11.5 billion purchase of Acceleron in 2021, which netted the pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Winrevair.
In July, Merck signed its $10 billion buyout of UK-based Verona Pharma, gaining Ohtuvayre, a newly approved drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly known as “smoker’s lung”.
Cidara is developing its long-acting antiviral drug CD388, which has the potential to be a single-dose, universal prevention against all flu strains.