Merck signs $2.13B oncology licensing deal for SPR2015

Merck announced an exclusive global license agreement with Shanghai-based SciBrunch Therapeutics on September 28, 2026, to develop, manufacture and commercialize SPR2015 worldwide. The candidate is an investigational preclinical oral KRAS G12D inhibitor designed to target one of the most common oncogenic RAS mutations found in human cancers.

Under the terms of the closed agreement, SciBrunch will receive an upfront payment of $400 million. SciBrunch remains eligible for milestone payments linked to development, commercialization and other activities across multiple indications, bringing the total potential value of the transaction to $2.13 billion. BofA Securities served as exclusive financial advisor to SciBrunch.

Merck stated that it will record a pre-tax charge of $400 million, or approximately $0.13 per share, in both GAAP and non-GAAP results for the third quarter of 2026 in connection with the deal.

George Addona, senior vice president of discovery, preclinical development and translational medicine at Merck Research Laboratories, noted that the agreement diversifies the company's precision targeted pipeline with a potent engineered inhibitor for prevalent mutant forms of KRAS. Tao Hu, founder, chairman and CEO of SciBrunch, stated that the partnership validates his company's research platform and its commitment to therapies for pancreatic, colorectal, lung and other major malignant tumors.