Merck Pursues Oral Peptide Delivery in $493M Cyprumed Deal

Merck has embarked on a strategic collaboration with Austrian biotechnology firm Cyprumed to enhance the oral availability of its peptide medications. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, represents a nonexclusive licensing and option pact, positioning Merck to potentially revolutionize how some of its therapies are administered.

The specifics of the deal include a potential payout of up to $493 million by Merck, covering the initial fee as well as developmental, regulatory, and commercialization milestones that any resulting products might achieve. This investment grants Merck access to Cyprumed's innovative technology platform, which aims to transform its peptide therapies into oral formulations. However, Merck has remained discreet about which specific therapies are targeted for this transformation, and has not disclosed priorities concerning therapeutic indications.

Cyprumed’s advanced platform is versatile, capable of adapting various peptide forms such as GLP-1 analogs, mini-proteins, and macrocycles into oral drugs. The agreement also provides Merck with an exclusive opportunity to further license Cyprumed's technology for specific targets, which would entail additional payments to Cyprumed. Furthermore, Merck will spearhead the clinical trials needed for these novel oral formulations, taking full responsibility for their manufacturing and commercialization.

Merck's current pipeline includes two peptide-based therapies. One, enlicitide decanoate, is in the late stages of development targeting high cholesterol. This therapy, which inhibits PCSK9, is already available in oral form and is being developed with UCB Pharmaceuticals under the CORALreef program, encompassing five ongoing studies. The other, efinopegdutide, is a dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist currently in Phase II trials for treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Unlike enlicitide decanoate, efinopegdutide is currently administered via subcutaneous injection. Merck has initiated four studies to explore the efficacy of efinopegdutide, including a comparative study with Novo Nordisk's semaglutide to assess their effectiveness in reducing liver fat content in MASH patients.

The collaboration with Cyprumed aligns with Merck’s strategic goals within the weight loss and obesity markets. During the 45th Goldman Sachs Healthcare Conference scheduled for June 2024, Merck's CEO, Robert Davis, emphasized the company’s focus on developing oral medications over injectables. He highlighted a commitment to formulating treatments that offer cardiometabolic advantages while also aiding in weight reduction. Davis articulated that Merck’s primary consideration is obesity, subsequently evaluating additional health outcomes that would support broader reimbursement strategies in the obesity sector.

This partnership reflects Merck’s broader ambitions in the healthcare landscape, aiming to leverage Cyprumed's technology to potentially reshape the administration of peptide drugs, thereby expanding the options available to patients and healthcare providers. Through these efforts, Merck seeks to address significant unmet needs in the areas of cardiovascular and metabolic health, ensuring that its therapies not only address primary conditions but also offer secondary health benefits that align with evolving medical and patient requirements.