Merck & Co. Seeds Neuroscience Expansion With Caraway Buy

The drug maker will spend up to $610m to acquire Caraway, with a lead product candidate targeting TRPML1, a pathway implicated in a number of neurodegenerative diseases.

Merck said 21 November that it would acquire Caraway Therapeutics • Source: Shutterstock

Merck & Co., Inc. is making its latest foray into drugs targeting a lysosomal ion channel that plays a role in neurodegenerative diseases with its acquisition of Caraway Therapeutics, a venture capital-backed company focused on Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other rare diseases. In doing so, the pharma company is hoping to expand its presence in the area of neuroscience.

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