MKGAY - Novartis nabs osteoarthritis candidate from Germany's Merck

Novartis ([[NVS]] -1.4%) has in-licensed exclusive global rights to a Phase 2-ready program in osteoarthritis, M6495, from Merck KGaA (MKGAY).The candidate, an anti-ADAMTS5 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 5) Nanobody, was originally jointly developed by Merck KGaA and Ablynx under a 2011 agreement then solely developed by Merck after Sanofi acquired Ablynx in June 2018.Under the terms of the deal, Merck will receive €50M upfront, up to €400M in milestones and royalties on net sales.The disintegration of aggrecan, an essential component of joint cartilage, by ADAMTS5 is believed to be an early event of cartilage breakdown.

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Novartis nabs osteoarthritis candidate from Germany's Merck