In a move to expand its cancer immunotherapy pipeline, Merck & Co. inked a deal Wednesday to buy Viralytics, a virus-based cancer drug firm, for 502 million Australian dollars ($394 million), according to Reuters.
Here are three things to know.
1. Viralytics, a Sydney, Australia-based biotech company, uses viruses to detect and kill cancer cells.
2. Under the terms of the deal, Merck will pay 1.75 Australian dollars ($1.37) per share for the company.
3. "We are eager to further build on Viralytics's science as we continue our efforts to harness the immune system to improve long-term disease control and survival outcomes for people with cancer," Roy Baynes, MD, PhD, senior vice president and head of global clinical development, CMO of Merck Research Laboratories, said in a press release.