Merck & Co., Inc. announced in an official statement on Friday that the company has, along with Daiichi Sankyo, entered into a "global development and commercialization agreement for three of Daiichi Sankyo's DXd antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates."
The statement reveals that "Merck is to pay Daiichi Sankyo a $4 billion upfront payment in addition to $1.5 billion in continuation payments over the next 24 months, and may make additional payments of up to $16.5 billion contingent upon the achievement of future sales milestones."
The companies will jointly develop ADC candidates worldwide, except in Japan, where Daiichi Sankyo will maintain exclusive rights. As the company explains, the "collaboration combines Daiichi Sankyo's proven ADC expertise and DXd technology with Merck's deep experience in oncology and clinical development capabilities to advance and expand the reach of ADCs for patients across multiple types of cancer."
