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Merck & Co. Joins Competitive BTK Research Space With $2.7bn ArQule Buy

 
• By Jessica Merrill

ArQule's lead candidate, ARQ 531, is a novel BTK inhibitor in Phase II development that could work in patients with B-cell malignancies resistant to existing BTK inhibitors like Imbruvica.

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Merck is buying ArQule for $2.7bn in cash

Merck & Co. Inc. is making a big investment in the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor space with the acquisition of cancer specialist ArQule Inc. for $20-per-share in cash, or $2.7bn. The company announced the acquisition 9 December, the same day ArQule released positive early clinical data on its lead BTK inhibitor ARQ 531 at the American Society of Hematology annual meeting.

BTK inhibitors have been shown to be effective in patients with B-cell malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic

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