Merck and Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Merck, through a subsidiary, will acquire Cidara at $221.50 per share in cash, totaling approximately $9.2 billion.
Merck, which is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, stated that the deal is intended to secure access to an experimental flu prevention drug.
Cidara is working on its long-acting antiviral drug, CD388, which could serve as a single-dose, universal preventative treatment for all flu strains.
Robert M. Davis, Chairman and CEO of Merck told investors: “We continue to execute our science-led business development strategy, augmenting our pipeline with CD388, a potentially first-in-class, long-acting antiviral designed to prevent influenza in individuals at higher risk of complications. We intend to build on the Cidara team’s remarkable progress and are confident that CD388 has the potential to be another important driver of growth through the next decade, creating real value for shareholders.”
Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., President and CEO of Cidara commented, “This milestone represents a transformational moment for Cidara and for our mission to redefine influenza prevention. Thanks to the extraordinary dedication of our team, the Phase 2b NAVIGATE study delivered compelling results that demonstrate CD388’s potential to provide an additional option to vaccines and antivirals to help address unmet needs in influenza prevention. Merck’s global development, regulatory and commercial capabilities provide the expertise and resources needed to bring this important innovation to those individuals who need it most.”
Dr. Dean Y. Li, president, Merck Research Laboratories stated, “This acquisition expands and complements our respiratory portfolio and pipeline. Influenza continues to pose a significant global health threat, causing widespread illness, morbidity and death each year especially in older adults and immunocompromised individuals, such as those with cancer and chronic diseases. CD388 is a novel late-phase candidate with important strain-agnostic properties being evaluated for the prevention of symptomatic influenza in high-risk individuals.”
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.
Merck shares rose almost 2% in premarket trading following the announcement.
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
