Merck and Dewpoint Team Up for HIV Treatment Plan

Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, announced on July 13, 2020 that it has signed a collaboration agreement with Dewpoint Therapeutics, a biomolecular condensates company located in Boston, MA, for approximately $305 million to use Dewpoint’s proprietary platform for condensate-based drug discovery to develop  a novel mechanism for the treatment of HIV.

Under the agreement, Dewpoint will gain up to $305 million in upfront and milestone payments, along with royalties on sales of any approved product from the collaboration, according to a Dewpoint press release.

Dewpoint’s condensate platform works to target individual molecules and interacting groups of molecules within condensate communities to create new treatments for incurable and untreatable diseases, the press release said. The platform gives insight into the interactions of biomolecular communities so the treatments can intervene in new ways.

“Dewpoint and Merck will leverage Dewpoint’s expertise in condensates to develop an HIV drug candidate with a unique mechanism that may provide the potential to cure rather than suppress the infection,” said Ann Kwong, Dewpoint executive vice-president, R&D, in the press release. “It’s really exciting and inspiring to be partnering with Merck, a leader in the HIV treatment field.”

“At Merck we remain committed to advancing new treatment options for patients with HIV, including exploring novel ways toward a potential cure,” said Daria Hazuda, vice-president, Infectious Diseases Discovery, Merck Research Laboratories and chief scientific officer, Merck Exploratory Science Center, in the press release. “We look forward to working with the Dewpoint team.”

Source: Dewpoint