Everest Medicines Partners with Weikeer Pharma, GSK Acquires Nuvalent for $10.6B, and Johnson & Johnson Bets Big on KRAS Targeting

Jun 09, 2026 19:25 CST Updated 19:25

Everest Medicines

Developer of Innovative Therapies

GSK

Pharmaceutical R&D Manufacturer

Nuvalent

Targeted Therapy Drug Developer

Everest Medicines and Vicore Pharma Reach Collaboration Agreement

6Month9On [date], Everest Medicines announced that it had entered into an exclusive license agreement with Vical Pharmaceuticals, granting Everest Medicines the exclusive rights to clinically develop, register, and commercialize Vicagrel in multiple countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific (including Southeast Asia, South Korea, Australia, as well as China’s Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions). Under the terms of the agreement, Everest Medicines will pay Vical Pharmaceuticals200010,000 yuanThe upfront payment, as well as subsequent milestone payments and commercial supply payments for the collaborative products.

Publicly available information shows that,Vicagrel is independently developed by Weikai'er Pharmaceuticals.1A novel antithrombotic agent, a new generation of oralP2Y12Receptor antagonist. It is reported that the design rationale of vicagrel aims to address clopidogrel resistance.ofBlack Box Warning Issue: A Molecular Discovery Pathway That Optimizes the Clopidogrel Metabolic Pathway While Retaining the Same Active Metabolite as Clopidogrelwith the aim ofA More Balanced Approach to Weighing the Efficacy Benefits of Antiplatelet Drugs Against Bleeding Risks“Double-Edged Sword”。

2024Year1Month, Vicore Pharma announced that it has submitted to the U.S.FDASubmission of the New Drug Application for Vicagrel Capsules for the Treatment of Thrombotic Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Including Acute Coronary Syndrome, Ischemic Stroke, and Confirmed Peripheral Artery Disease (NDA). This is the first New Drug Application (NDA) in Vicore Innovation's innovative drug pipeline.

In China, Vicagrel is undergoing multiple clinical studies, covering indications including perioperative antithrombotic therapy for percutaneous coronary intervention, acute coronary syndrome, peripheral artery disease, and ischemic stroke.

GSK Acquires Nuvalent for $10.6 Billion

6Month9Day,GSK(GlaxoSmithKline) announced that it has reached an agreement to106acquire the Boston-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company for $100 millionNuvalent. This acquisition andGSKaligns with its oncology strategy, namely acquiring innovative assets with validated targets that effectively address the limitations of existing standard-of-care therapies in terms of efficacy or tolerability. Through this transaction,GSKwill secure three treatments for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) targeted innovative drugs.

Among them,The core assets of this acquisition include two potential best-in-class, next-generation highly selective kinase inhibitors in late-stage development.——TargetedROS1ofzidesamtinib（NVL-520) and targetedALKofneladalkib（NVL-655）。ThisBoth drugs have currently received U.S.FDAGranted Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Orphan Drug Status, and currently inFDADuring the marketing authorization review phase, the target decision dates are as follows:2026Year9Month18Hiori11Month27day. If approved as expected, these two drugs are projected to2026listed in [year], and possessesBecomeBreaking NewsThe potential of tiered drugs.

In addition, the transaction also includes a product currently inⅠPotential Best-in-Class in Phase Clinical TrialsHER2InhibitorNVL-330（ForHER2MutatedNSCLC）, andNuvalentMultiple preclinical research projects built upon precision medicine capabilities.

InIASLC 20252026 World Lung Cancer Conference and2026YearASCOKey data released at the annual meeting showed that,zidesamtinibandneladalkibDemonstrated potential best-in-class characteristics. Both assets are designed to achieve high target selectivity and durable therapeuticEfficacy, whileCanImprovementTolerability, EnhancementBlood-brain barrier penetration capability (for tumor metastasis) andALKandROS1Broader mutation coverage to address the efficacy or tolerability limitations of existing therapies, providing patients with longer duration of effective treatment and improved quality of life.

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement,GSKInitiate a tender offer at per share124Cash Price of the US Dollar (Premium over the Last Closing Price40%) AcquisitionNuvalentAll outstandingofshares. The estimated total equity value of the transaction is approximately106hundred million USD (approximately80billion pounds), after deducting the acquired cash,GSKThe actual investment amount is approximately94USD 100 million.

From a financial perspective, the acquisition is expected to2027since the yearGSKdriving revenue growth, and after accounting for synergies and reprioritization, at2027Annual Core Operating ProfitThickening, in2029annual core earnings per share (EPS）Thickening.

Johnson & Johnson Acquires KRAS Asset for $1 Billion

6Month8On [date], Johnson & Johnson announced that it had entered into an agreement with the biotechnology companyFirefly Bio, Inc.Final Agreement Reached. Under the terms of the agreement, Johnson & Johnson will10in cash to complete the acquisition ofFirefly Biothe full acquisition.ThisTimeThe transaction is expected to2026Complete the closing within the year。

Firefly Biois advancing its proprietaryFirelink™Degradable Antibody Conjugatesplatform. This platform can precisely deliver highly selective protein degraders to tumor cells while avoiding damage to healthy cells, addressing many shortcomings of existing anticancer drugs. This acquisition will expand Johnson & Johnson's targeted pan-KRASand expertise in other refractory cancer drivers, overcoming multiple refractory tumor driver genes and breaking through the core bottlenecks of existing therapies.

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