Germany-based Merck KGaA has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SpringWorks Therapeutics for $47 per share in cash for an equity value of approximately $3.9 billion.
For Merck KGaA, the deal aligns with its previously shared push to continue to pursue external innovation via in-licensing of high-quality compounds at various stages of development and focused acquisitions that promise early value creation. It also fits with the strategic objective of strengthening the company’s health care presence in the U.S.
SpringWorks’ rare tumor portfolio includes Gomekli, a MEK inhibitor was approved in February 2025 for the treatment of both adults and children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) who have symptomatic plexiform neurofibromas — tumors that grow along the peripheral nerve sheath and can cause severe disfigurement, pain and functional impairment — that can’t be removed through surgery. Available in both capsule form and as a tablet for oral suspension, Gomekli is the first and only medicine approved for both adults and children with NF1. With the approval, SpringWorks was granted a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher by the FDA.
SpringWorks' Ogsiveo tablets were approved by the FDA in November 2023 for adult patients with progressing desmoid tumors requiring systemic treatment. Ogsiveo was the first approved drug for addressing desmoid tumors, a rare subset of soft tissue sarcomas.
The dealmaking may not be done for Merck KGaA either, with CEO Belén Garijo vowing that the company will “continue to explore M&A opportunities across our three complementary business sectors.”