Gilead licenses novel cancer treatment from Kymera in US$750M deal

USA—Gilead Sciences has agreed to license a promising cancer treatment candidate from Kymera Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to US$750 million.

This agreement comes just days after Gilead gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Yeztugo (lenacapavir), its new injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) product.

Under the terms of the deal, Gilead will pay Kymera US$85 million upfront, with the remaining payments tied to future development milestones and potential product sales.

If Kymera’s drug candidates achieve certain goals and reach the market, the company stands to earn additional payments, along with tiered royalties on any resulting sales.

The focus of this collaboration is Kymera’s innovative molecular glue degrader (MGD) program.

MGDs are a new class of drugs that work by acting as molecular adhesives, binding to and promoting the targeted destruction of specific proteins within cells.

Kymera’s MGDs are designed to selectively eliminate cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), a protein that plays a crucial role in cell division and is often associated with the uncontrolled growth characteristic of many cancers.

CDK2 has emerged as a key target in cancer research, as its abnormal activity can drive tumor development by disrupting normal cell cycle regulation.

 Several major pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Incyte, are already testing drugs that inhibit CDK2.

However, Kymera’s approach goes a step further by aiming to remove the protein entirely from cancer cells, rather than simply blocking its activity.

The company believes this could lead to more precise, safer, and more effective cancer treatments, particularly for breast cancer and other solid tumors.

Despite the promise of this approach, Kymera is not alone in the field.

For example, Monte Rosa Therapeutics recently reported mixed results from clinical trials of its own MGD candidates, underscoring the challenges and competitive landscape in this area of drug development.

Kymera’s CEO, Nello Mainolfi, expressed optimism about the potential of their CDK2-targeting drugs, noting that preclinical studies have demonstrated that these orally administered treatments are both highly specific and effective.

He suggested that this technology could significantly improve outcomes for patients with breast cancer and other hard-to-treat tumors.

Gilead’s executive vice president of research, Flavius Martin, also highlighted the significance of MGDs, emphasizing that these drugs offer a novel way to eliminate disease-causing proteins rather than just inhibiting them.

 He explained that this aligns with Gilead’s broader oncology strategy, which focuses on therapies that precisely target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.

In addition to the Gilead deal, Kymera announced an amendment to its ongoing partnership with Sanofi.

The French pharmaceutical giant will now proceed with clinical trials for KT-485 (also known as SAR447971), an IRAK4 inhibitor developed by Kymera.

As part of this agreement, Kymera received a US$20 million milestone payment in the second quarter of 2025 and could earn up to US$975 million more if the drug meets future development goals.

Meanwhile, the development of another candidate, KT-474, has been deprioritized.

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