Merck Enters into Out-licensing Agreement with Biotechnology Company Vera Therapeutics

Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that it, through its subsidiary Ares Trading S.A., has entered into an out-licensing agreement with biotechnology company Vera Therapeutics, South San Francisco, USA, for the further development of investigational therapy atacicept. Vera Therapeutics will first prioritize to take atacicept into a Phase IIb study in IgA nephropathy (IgAN), an autoimmune kidney disease also known as "Berger's disease". "The positive results from our Phase IIa study in IgA nephropathy reinforce the potential of this compound, and we are pleased to see Vera Therapeutics take it into the next phase of development," says Andreas Stickler, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategy, Business Development and Portfolio Management of the healthcare business sector of Merck. "This agreement shows how we are executing on our strategy to focus on our priority assets and areas of expertise, while underscoring our commitment to ensure promising molecules from our immunology pipeline have the opportunity to make it to patients as quickly as possible." Atacicept is a recombinant fusion protein that contains the soluble TACI receptor that binds to the cytokines BLyS and APRIL. These cytokines are members of the tumor necrosis factor family that promote B-cell survival and autoantibody production associated with certain autoimmune diseases such as IgAN. IgAN is one of the most common kidney diseases worldwide, with a remaining high unmet medical need for efficacious new medications to treat the disease.