On 14 November 2024, Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) announced that it has entered an exclusive global licence agreement with Shanghai-based LaNova Medicines Ltd to develop, manufacture and commercialise LM-299, LaNova’s investigational PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody.
Under the agreement, MSD will make an upfront payment of US$588 million to LaNova, which is also eligible to receive up to US$2.7 billion in milestone payments. The deal is expected to close in Q4 2024, subject to regulatory approvals.
In October 2024, MSD entered an agreement with ABL Bio for evaluation of ABL’s bispecific antibody ABL 103 in combination with MSD’s Keytruda® (pembrolizumab). In August 2024, MSD and Curon Biopharmaceutical announced MSD’s acquisition of Curon-developed CD3xCD19 bispecific antibody CN201, currently in Ph I/II trials for the treatment of B-cell associated diseases.