Novartis AG is bolstering its radioligand arsenal with the takeout of Mariana Oncology Inc. for $1 billion up front and as much as $750 million in potential milestone payments. Watertown, Mass.-based Mariana has developed peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals targeting solid tumors. The company’s lead program, MC-339, is a radioligand approach to small-cell lung cancer, due to enter the clinic later this year.
Novartis Pharma AG continues to build up its radiopharmaceutical powerhouse and has expanded a peptide discovery collaboration with Peptidream Inc. in a deal worth up to $2.71 billion. Under the multi-program agreement, Kawasaki, Japan-based Peptidream will use its peptide discovery platform system technology to identify and optimize novel macrocyclic peptides against targets selected by Novartis for potential conjugation to radioligand therapies or other applications for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.
The agency sent letters to Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Covis Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceuticals, among others.