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Rigontec Buy Adds RNA Tech To Merck & Co IO Portfolio

 
• By Lubna Ahmed

Merck & Co. adds to its immuno-oncology pipeline with the acquisition of Rigontec for an upfront payment of €115m, with the three-year-old company offering Merck a unique approach to immunotherapy and a lead candidate currently in Phase I/II trials, the first of its kind in human studies.

Two groups of candies in different colors symbolizing the parties to the negotiations

Merck & Co. Inc. has acquired oncology-focused Rigontec GMBH for an upfront payment of €115m and possible additional contingent payments of up to €349m. The Germany-based company caught the big pharma's eye with its unique RNA-based technology that takes advantage of the innate immune system's retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) pathway, a part of the immune system that has not been traditionally targeted by oncology players.

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