US EditionMerck bets on flu prevention with $9.2 billion deal for Cidara Therapeutics
Merck will pay $9.2 billion to acquire Cidara's long-acting antiviral CD388 and Cloudbreak platform to strengthen its infectious disease pipeline amid Keytruda patent expirations.
- Merck will acquire San Diego-based Cidara Therapeutics for nearly $9.2 billion, paying $221.50 per share, with the deal announced Friday and expected to close in the first quarter of 2026.
- Merck is seeking late-stage assets as Keytruda's revenue faces pressure, looking to diversify beyond Keytruda as its patents expire later this decade; last year, Cidara reacquired rights to the CD388 program after Janssen stepped away.
- Cidara's lead candidate CD388, a drug-Fc conjugate and not a vaccine, met its Phase 2b goals with about 5,000 participants, showing significant prevention and safety, according to the companies said.
- Investors reacted immediately, sending Cidara shares more than double Thursday's close as the stock had been climbing since the June Phase 2 report, and Merck has scheduled a Monday 8 a.m. investor call to discuss the deal.
- An interim analysis in the first quarter of 2026 will assess trial size and possible enrollment beyond 6,000 participants planned, and if successful CD388 could offer season-long protection for older adults and immunocompromised people.
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ORLANDO, FL / ACCESS Newswire / November 14, 2025 / RedChip Companies, an industry leader in investor relations, media, and research for microcap and small-cap companies, today congratulated its former client, Cidara Therapeutics, on its acquisition by Merck for approximately…
Merck Makes Big Antiviral Move With $9B Deal to Land Cidara’s Late-Stage Drug for Flu Prevention
Merck’s Cidara Therapeutics acquisition brings a lead program with potential to become a first-in-class drug for preventing influenza infection. A Phase 3 study is already underway, timed to coincide with the start of the flu season in the Northern Hemisphere. The post Merck Makes Big Antiviral Move With $9B Deal to Land Cidara’s Late-Stage Drug for Flu Prevention appeared first on MedCity News.
Merck to Acquire Cidara Therapeutics in $9.2 Billion Deal to Boost Flu Prevention
Biotech giant Merck announced plans on Nov. 14 to acquire Cidara Therapeutics for $9.2 billion to develop medications for the prevention of influenza. In a company statement, Merck Chairman and CEO Robert Davis said the deal will enable the company to augment its pharmaceuticals with CD388, a long-acting antiviral designed to prevent influenza in individuals at high risk of complications. “We intend to build on the Cidara team’s remarkable progr…
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