Myricx Bio Deal Brings Novel N‑Myristoyltransferase Inhibitor ADCs Into Novartis Portfolio | iPharmaCenter
- Badari Andukuri
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Novartis is moving to expand its oncology footprint with a planned acquisition of UK‑based Myricx Bio, betting on a new antibody‑drug conjugate payload class that targets N‑myristoyltransferase and could broaden options for patients with solid tumours.
Novartis moves on Myricx Bio
The Swiss drugmaker has agreed to buy Myricx Bio, a privately held biotech in the UK that is building ADCs around N‑myristoyltransferase inhibitor payloads.
The company will pay about 1.1 billion US dollars upfront, with a further 400 million dollars tied to potential milestones, putting the total headline value near 1.5 billion dollars if all milestones are met.
Closing is targeted for the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory clearance and standard closing conditions. For Novartis, the deal is positioned as a way to bring in both near‑term ADC assets and a flexible payload platform that can underpin future programmes.
Why NMTi ADCs matter
Myricx’s core idea is to use N‑myristoyltransferase inhibition as the payload mechanism inside ADCs. NMT is an enzyme that adds a myristoyl lipid group to certain proteins, affecting how they localise and function within cells, including proteins that cancer cells rely on for growth and survival.
By blocking NMT, the payload is intended to disrupt multiple myristoylation‑dependent pathways at once, which could translate into strong antitumour activity. Preclinical data presented by Myricx show NMTi‑ADCs delivering deep and durable tumour regressions across several solid tumour models, including scenarios where topoisomerase I‑based ADCs have struggled, suggesting a way to tackle resistance to current payload classes.
Myricx has reported preclinical activity for candidates such as MYX2470, MYX2449 and MYX2468, including complete and durable regressions in prostate, breast and gastric cancer models at tolerated doses.
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