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.
Regina Hodits, general partner at Wellington Partners Life Sciences, an investor in Rigontec, told Scrip that though there is a...