Novartis has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the United Kingdom-based biotechnology firm Myricx Bio. This acquisition is valued at a total of $1.5 billion, which includes an upfront payment of $1.1 billion and the potential for an additional $400 million in milestone-based payments. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions.

Integration of the NMTi Payload Platform

The acquisition centers on the development of antibody-drug conjugates that utilize a specialized NMTi payload platform. These next-generation payloads employ N-myristoyltransferase inhibitors to target malignant cells, offering a different approach compared to traditional topoisomerase 1 inhibitors. This technology is designed to address the limitations of current therapies and provide new options for patients facing treatment resistance.

Clinical Applications in Solid Tumor Therapy

Novartis will integrate a pipeline featuring two lead candidates. These candidates are directed at B7 homologue 3 (B7-H3) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). This indicates a broad potential for application across various solid tumor types.

Fiona Marshall, the president of biomedical research at Novartis, stated, “ADCs have become an important part of cancer treatment, but there remains a clear need for new payload mechanisms to overcome resistance and expand their impact for patients.”

“This proposed acquisition reflects our strategy to scale innovative platforms, as we have with radioligand therapies, to deliver more durable, transformative treatments for patients,” she added.

Preclinical data suggests that these NMTi payloads exhibit significant activity in solid tumors, including those that have proven resistant to existing therapeutic classes. By overtakingMyricx Bio, the organization aims to establish these inhibitors as a validated class of payloads for a variety of clinical targets.

Additional Regulatory Milestones

In a separate development, the European Commission has granted approval for the Novartis’ Itvisma. This treatment is indicated for children aged two and older, as well as teenagers and adults, who have 5q spinal muscular atrophy  with a bi-allelic mutation in the survival motor neuron 1 gene.