Novartis to acquire MorphoSys AG

The acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including a minimum acceptance threshold of 65% of outstanding shares tendered in the takeover offer and regulatory approvals, further expands and complements Novartis pipeline in oncology, one of its priority therapeutic areas, while also enhancing Novartis global footprint in hematology. Upon completion of the acquisition, Novartis will own pelabresib (CPI-0610), a novel and potentially practice changing treatment option with a well-tolerated safety profile provided in combination with ruxolitinib for patients with myelofibrosis (MF). It will also include tulmimetostat (CPI-0209), an early-stage investigational dual inhibitor of enhancer of zeste homolog 1 and 2 (EZH1 and EZH2) proteins currently being tested in patients with solid tumors or lymphomas. Pelabresib in combination with ruxolitinib recently met its primary endpoint of spleen volume reduction in the Phase III MANIFEST-2 study in JAK inhibitor-naive MF patients. The combination also demonstrated favorable trends in symptom improvement as evidenced by key secondary endpoints of absolute and 50% change in total symptom score (TSS) at week 24 compared to baseline. All four clinical hallmarks of disease in myelofibrosis – splenomegaly, disease-associated symptoms, anemia and bone marrow fibrosis – were improved with the pelabresib and ruxolitinib combination.