Merck Acquires Calporta Therapeutics for ~$576M

Shots:

• Merck acquired Calporta, in the all-cash transaction making a total deal value ~$576M including an up front payment and contingent milestone payments
• The focus of the collaboration is to gain a preclinical portfolio of small-molecule TRPML1 agonists which are being evaluated for lysosomal storage and neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
• Avalon Ventures and GSK launched Calporta in 2015 as part of their collaborative effort to found up to 10 biotech companies. TRPML1 is a lysosomal ion channel, by activating it signaling with small molecules could re-establish lysosomal processes and restore cellular function

Click here to­ read full press release/ article | Ref: Businesswire | Image: Bloomberg