The latest news on mergers and acquisitions featuring Merck KGaA/SpringWorks Therapeutics and Oramed Pharmaceuticals/Hefei Tianhui Biotech. Highlights below. 

* Merck KGaA Confirms In Talks for Potential Acquisition of Rare-Disease Drug Company SpringWorks Therapeutics 
* Oramed Announces Joint Venture for Developing Oral Insulin 

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Merck KGaA Confirms In Talks for Potential Acquisition of SpringWorks Therapeutics
Merck KGaA has confirmed that it is in talks with SpringWorks Therapeutics, a Stamford, Connecticut-based bio/pharmaceutical company specializing in rare diseases and oncology, for a potential acquisition of the company. 

SpringWorks’ commercial products include Ogsiveo (nirogacestat), for the treatment of adult patients with progressing desmoid tumors, a rare subtype of soft tissue sarcomas. The company also received approval this week (February 11, 2025) from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Gomekli (mirdametinib) for treating adult and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older with neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic condition that causes changes in skin pigment and tumors on nerve tissue. SpringWorks additionally has a pipeline of drugs focused on oncology and rare diseases.

Source: Merck KGaA 

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Oramed Announces Joint Venture for Developing Oral Insulin 
Oramed Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company focused on injectables and oral drugs, has entered into definitive agreements to spin off its Protein Oral Delivery (POD) technology into a newly formed joint venture, OraTech Pharmaceuticals, with Hefei Tianhui Biotech (HTIT), a Hefei, China-based company focused on biopharmaceutical product manufacturing and R&D with an emphasis on the oral delivery of therapeutic macromolecules. The transaction is designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of Oramed’s ORMD-0801 oral insulin and other POD-based oral drug-delivery technologies. 

As part of the transaction, Oramed will transfer its proprietary oral insulin and POD technology, along with other pipeline assets, into OraTech. The definitive agreements call for Oramed shareholders to receive a majority of Oramed’s equity interest in the new entity. Additionally, under the agreements, Oramed and HTIT will contribute a combined $75 million (Oramed investing $15 million and HTIT investing $60 million) in capital, some of which will be allocated for services rendered via a supply agreement. This financial backing will provide resources to drive development, commercialization, and clinical advancement. 

Under the agreement, HTIT will provide a supply agreement for oral insulin capsules, and OraTech will advance registration of oral insulin in the US and other countries. Additionally, OraTech will receive royalty payments from sales of oral insulin in China, where a marketing aauthorization application has been submitted, and commercialization preparations are underway by HTIT. 

Source: Oramed Pharmaceuticals