Nuvalent Enters Agreement to be Acquired by GSK for $10.6 Billion

Ropes & Gray advised Nuvalent Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating precisely targeted cancer treatments, in a $10.6 billion agreement with GSK. GSK will acquire three promising lung cancer therapies and a preclinical portfolio of multiple programs in the deal announced on June 9.

The transaction includes Nuvalent’s zidesamtinib (NVL-520) and neladalkib (NVL-655), two late-stage, potentially best-in-class, next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) with enhanced target selectivity for ROS1 and ALK-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), respectively. Both assets have received FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation and are in review with target decision dates of 18 September 2026 for zidesamtinib and 27 November 2026 for neladalkib. Subject to FDA approval, they are expected to launch in 2026 and together have multi-blockbuster potential.

Both zidesamtinib and neladalkib have highly selective designs to offer potential advantages that address known gaps in current standard of care, including increased durability, improved tolerability, enhanced brain penetration and improved coverage of resistance mutations.

The third asset, NVL-330, is a promising TKI currently in phase I trials with enhanced selectivity for HER2-altered lung cancer.

The acquisition also includes Nuvalent’s preclinical portfolio with multiple drug programs.

The team was led by mergers & acquisitions partner Emily Oldshue and counsel Nicholas Roper and included employment, executive compensation & benefits partner Renata Ferrari and counsel Christa Sanchez, IP transactions partner Megan Baca and counsel Jimmy Chen, antitrust partners Ruchit Patel and Mike McFalls, tax partner Ben Rogers, and life sciences regulatory partner Joshua Oyster and counsel Leslie Thornton.