Deal includes $450 million upfront and $1.3 billion in milestone payments for a late-stage myelofibrosis drug candidate.
French drugmaker Ipsen will acquire Kartos Therapeutics in a deal worth up to $1.75 billion, including $450 million in upfront cash and $1.3 billion in potential milestone payments. The acquisition targets navtemadlin, an oral MDM2 inhibitor in Phase III trials for myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer with limited treatment options.
Kartos’s lead asset is being tested as an add-on to ruxolitinib, the current standard of care, in patients with suboptimal responses. The POIESIS trial, enrolling over 600 patients globally, is expected to yield top-line data in 2027, with potential approval as early as 2028. Myelofibrosis patients often discontinue ruxolitinib within three years, facing median survival of one to two years afterward.
Ipsen CEO David Loew stated the deal strengthens the company’s late-stage oncology pipeline, addressing an unmet need in a market with few alternatives.