Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has signed a $4.8 billion deal to buy Mirati Therapeutics and its cancer drug KRAZATI, which targets KRAS. In December 2022, KRAZATI (adagrasib) was granted accelerated U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of adult patients with KRASG12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). KRAS is one of the most common cancer causing genes in people, but has been hard to target.
“Mirati strengthens and complements our current portfolio by adding assets focused on intrinsic tumor targets in the MTAP and MAPK pathways,” said Samit Hirawat, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Drug Development, Bristol Myers Squibb. “We believe Mirati’s assets have the potential to change the standard of care in multiple cancers, both as standalone therapies and in combination with Bristol Myers Squibb’s existing pipeline. We are excited about the significant potential that this transaction creates to transform patients’ lives through science around the world.”
Through this acquisition, BMS gains access to several clinical assets, including:
- KRAZATI (adagrasib): KRAS G12C mutations represent one of the most frequent alterations in NSCLC, accounting for approximately 14% of all NSCLC patients. KRAZATI also has several attributes that Mirati says position it favorably versus other KRAS G12C inhibitors, including its long half-life, and its demonstrated ability to be combined with a PD-1 inhibitor in first-line treatment of NSCLC in Phase I and II clinical trials. Adagrasib has shown central nervous system (CNS) penetration and intracranial responses in patients with active and untreated brain metastases. Additionally, it has shown strong efficacy data as a second- and third-line treatment for patients with colorectal cancer in combination with cetuximab, and as a monotherapy in previously treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
- MRTX1719, a potential first-in-class MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor in Phase I development has shown encouraging early efficacy data across several tumor types with MTAP deletion, including NSCLC, cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) and melanoma, with no evidence to date of meaningful hematologic toxicities associated with non-selective PRMT5 inhibitors. MRTX1719 targets MTAP-deleted tumors that comprise approximately 10% of all cancers. Phase II clinical trial initiation for MRTX1719 is expected in the first half of 2024;
- A KRAS and KRAS enabling program, including MRTX1133 and MRTX0902. MRTX1133 targets the KRASG12D mutation, which is implicated in key tumor types, such as pancreatic cancer, NSCLC and colorectal cancer. MRTX0902 is a SOS1 inhibitor in Phase I clinical development with the potential for combination use with other agents targeting the MAPK/RAS pathway, including KRAZATI. The KRASG12D mutation is implicated in over 30% of pancreatic cancer patients, a disease with high unmet medical need.
“With multiple targeted oncology assets including KRAZATI, Mirati is another important step forward in our efforts to grow our diversified oncology portfolio and further strengthen Bristol Myers Squibb’s pipeline for the latter half of the decade and beyond,” said Chris Boerner, PhD, executive vice president, CEO, and CEO-Elect, Bristol Myers Squibb.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Bristol Myers Squibb through a subsidiary will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Mirati common stock at a price of $58.00 per share in cash representing a 52% premium to the 30-day VWAP as of the unaffected October 4, 2023 close, for a total equity value of $4.8 billion corresponding to an enterprise value of approximately $3.7 billion, which accounts for approximately $1.1 billion of Mirati cash.
