(Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Novartis and drug developer Monte Rosa Therapeutics signed a licensing deal worth up to $5.7 billion on Monday to develop drugs for immune-mediated diseases.
Under the agreement, Monte Rosa will receive an upfront payment of $120 million and could earn milestone payments and royalties that lift the total value to as much as $5.7 billion.
Shares of Monte Rosa surged 65% in premarket trading after the announcement.
Immune-mediated diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, causing inflammation and damage. These hard-to-treat conditions significantly impact patients’ quality of life.
The deal grants Novartis exclusive rights to an undisclosed drug‑discovery target and options to license two additional programmes from Monte Rosa’s early‑stage immunology portfolio.
Monte Rosa Therapeutics will utilize its AI-enabled platform to discover and develop new degraders – small molecules designed to break down disease-causing proteins – which Novartis will then take forward into clinical development and commercialization.
This collaboration marks the second between the two companies, following a deal last year for MRT-6160, a drug currently in early-stage trials for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.
The agreement is Novartis’ second major deal this month, after an up‑to‑$5.2 billion tie‑up with China’s Argo Biopharmaceutical for experimental heart drugs.
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid)
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