Novartis has acquired biotech company Pikavation in a deal valued at up to $3 billion, according to Genetic Engineering News. The acquisition centers on Pikavation's lead program SNV4818, a pan-mutant selective PI3Kα inhibitor designed to target cancer cells with specific genetic mutations.
SNV4818 is currently in early-stage clinical trials for hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer and other solid tumors. The drug works by inhibiting phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha, a key enzyme involved in cancer cell growth and survival.