Merck to Buy Pandion for $1.85 Billion to Broaden Autoimmune Drug Portfolio

Merck plans to acquire Massachusetts-based Pandion Therapeutics for an estimated $1.85 billion to broaden its portfolio of autoimmune disease therapies.

Under the deal, Merck will gain access to Pandion’s lead candidate, PT101, a potential treatment for ulcerative colitis and other autoimmune diseases. The immune modulator, which is meant to bolster T-cells, has demonstrated safety and tolerability in a phase 1a clinical trial.

In addition, Merck will acquire Pandion’s development pipeline of programmed cell death protein 1 agonists for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.