Novartis gains α-emitter, radioligand platform via $1B Mariana takeout

With its $1 billion acquisition of privately held Mariana, Novartis has once again strengthened its radioligand portfolio, adding the biotech’s α-emitting lead program to complement its marketed β-emitting oncology drugs and others in its pipeline.

The deal bucks a trend among 10-figure biotech takeouts in the past few years, nearly all of which have been for companies with relatively derisked, late-stage or marketed assets. In contrast, four-year-old Mariana Oncology Inc.’s lead asset, actinium-225 emitter MC-339, has not yet reached the clinic; it is designed to treat small-cell lung cancer...