Novartis Acquires Myricx Bio in $1.5bn Deal to Add NMTi ADC Payload Platform

Payload resistance in ADC programs just became a sharper manufacturing and development challenge: Novartis has agreed to acquire UK-based Myricx Bio for USD 1.1bn upfront, plus up to USD 400m in milestones, adding an N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor (NMTi) payload platform designed to circumvent resistance mechanisms that limit current ADC classes, including TOPO-1 inhibitors.

Myricx's NMTi mechanism targets the enzyme N-myristoyltransferase, which cancer cells depend on for protein function and survival signaling. Preclinical data indicate activity across solid tumor models resistant to TOPO-1 payloads, a finding with direct implications for process development teams already scaling linker-payload conjugation infrastructure. The company's two lead assets are directed at B7-H3 and HER2, both validated ADC targets with established clinical precedent.

For CDMOs and in-house ADC facilities, the acquisition signals that next-generation payload chemistries are moving from academic novelty toward GMP-relevant timelines. NMTi payloads represent a structurally distinct class from auristatins, maytansinoids, and camptothecin derivatives, meaning existing conjugation suites, analytical methods, and containment classifications may require reassessment before tech transfer can proceed. Process validation packages and impurity control strategies will need to be built from the ground up once clinical-stage manufacturing begins.

Novartis has framed the deal as a platform play rather than a single-asset acquisition, drawing an explicit parallel to its radioligand therapy build-out. If NMTi payloads achieve clinical validation, the company intends to apply the mechanism across additional targets, which would require scalable, reproducible conjugation processes and robust ICH Q10-aligned pharmaceutical quality systems capable of supporting multiple concurrent ADC programs.

The transaction is expected to close in H2 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals, at which point Novartis will assume responsibility for advancing both lead assets and the broader payload platform through IND-enabling and early clinical manufacturing stages.

Source: GlobeNewswire via Novartis press release, 6 July 2026.