Bayer and MOMA Therapeutics Enter Collaboration and License Agreement in Oncology

October 8, 2024

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BERLIN & CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bayer and MOMA Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing a new generation of precision therapeutics, today announced that they have entered into a collaboration, under an option and exclusive license agreement, to develop and commercialize a small molecule oncology program based on MOMA's proprietary KNOMATIC ^™ platform. Under the agreement, Bayer will be responsible for completing further preclinical, development and commercial activities.

"We are excited to partner with MOMA Therapeutics to explore the untapped potential of highly dynamic proteins in oncology," said Juergen Eckhardt, M.D., Head of Business Development and Licensing at Bayer's Pharmaceuticals Division. "This collaboration reinforces Bayer's commitment to precision medicine while enhancing our ability to address significant unmet medical needs in cancer treatment. By leveraging MOMA's cutting-edge technologies and our expertise, we aim to accelerate the development of innovative therapies that can make a meaningful difference in patients' lives."

Under the agreement, Bayer will gain access to the program itself along with results generated via MOMA's KNOMATIC ^™ platform. This platform integrates deep structural insights with advanced hit-finding technologies and computation-enabled lead optimization to accelerate the discovery of therapeutics that effectively target highly dynamic proteins. Dynamic proteins represent an emerging class of therapeutic targets that can play critical roles in disease progression. Targeting these proteins via a small molecule approach offers a largely untapped means of developing innovative cancer therapies.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Bayer to drug this disease-relevant target," said Asit Parikh, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of MOMA. "Following our recent announcement highlighting the advancement of our wholly owned Pol theta and Werner programs, Bayer's interest in this collaboration further highlights the power of our KNOMATIC ^™ platform and MOMA's openness to creating win-win partnerships."

Under the terms of the agreement, MOMA will receive an upfront payment and collaboration fee and is eligible to receive additional payments based on the achievement of certain near-term discovery, development and commercial milestones, as well as tiered royalties on net sales.

Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.

About MOMA Therapeutics
MOMA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage, next-generation precision medicine company dedicated to targeting highly dynamic proteins that underlie human disease via a small molecule approach, utilizing its proprietary KNOMATIC ^™ platform. The platform was designed to exploit key vulnerabilities inherent to all dynamic proteins, namely their dependence on well-coordinated, stepwise changes in protein conformation. By focusing on genetically validated targets with high translation potential, MOMA is rapidly advancing its pipeline toward responses in the clinic. For more information, go to www.momatx.com.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, "Health for all, Hunger for none," the company's products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 47.6 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Source: Bayer