Novartis Pays $90M for Molecules That Could Take STING Out of Inflammation

Placing research in the hands of a large pharmaceutical company is a goal of many biotech companies. IFM Therapeutics has now done it three times and its latest deal is the second time Novartis is the acquirer.

(March 13, 2024) | By Frank Vinluan, PHARMA, BIOPHARMA.

The Moolah: Novartis is paying $90 million up front to acquire IFM Due; milestone payments could reach up to $745 million.

Why It Matters: Though scientists know cGAS-STING plays a role in inflammation, the cGAS protein has been an elusive drug target. Successfully hitting this target would open the doors to a new class of medicines. But Novartis is not the leader in this chase. Startup Ventus Therapeutics has already started Phase 1 testing of its cGAS-blocking molecule; preliminary data are expected in the second half of this year.