Merck announced the completion of the Prometheus Biosciences acquisition. Prometheus is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck and the common stock of Prometheus will no longer be listed or traded on the Nasdaq Global Market.

“The Prometheus acquisition accelerates our growing presence in immunology, augments our diverse pipeline and increases our ability to deliver patient value. This transaction is another example of Merck acting strategically and decisively when science and value align,” said Robert M. Davis, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck. “Prometheus brings us a potential best-in-class candidate that creates an opportunity for us to transform treatment for patients with immune-mediated diseases. We are excited to welcome our Prometheus colleagues to Merck and we look forward to working together, driven by our common purpose of saving and improving lives.”

Prometheus’ leading clinical candidate, PRA-023, which will be known as MK-7240, is a humanized monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like ligand 1A (TL1A), a target associated with both intestinal inflammation and fibrosis.

It is being developed for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease (CD) and other autoimmune conditions. In December 2022, Prometheus announced positive results for MK-7240 from ARTEMIS-UC, a Phase 2, placebo-controlled study evaluating safety and efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severely active UC and APOLLO-CD, and a Phase 2A, open-label study evaluating safety and efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severe CD. The findings were recently presented at the 18th Congress of European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO).

“At Merck we have deep expertise in clinical development with a proven record of implementing precision medicine strategies,” said Dr. Dean Y. Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories. “By combining our strengths, Merck and Prometheus are well-positioned to advance MK-7240 and additional pipeline candidates.”