Story perspectives

Merck KGaA to Buy Silence Therapeutics for $1.3B

By Drooid · Oct 20, 2026, 2:48 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Merck KGaA is acquiring Silence Therapeutics for about $1.3 billion in cash.
Merck will pay $20 per American depositary share, a 130% premium to the prior close.
Silence’s lead candidate divesiran showed 88% response versus 19% placebo in a Phase 2 trial.
Analysts estimate divesiran could generate roughly $400 million in annual sales by the mid-2030s.
The deal gives Merck access to the mRNAi-GOLD siRNA platform and assets such as zerlasiran.

History

Historical Context

Andrew Fire and Craig Mello’s 1998 discovery of RNA interference sparked a wave of research that produced synthetic siRNAs and, by 2006, early clinical trials for macular degeneration and RSV. FDA approvals beginning with patisiran in 2018 validated the approach, prompting major pharma such as Merck KGaA to acquire Silence Therapeutics and join a market that will host seven RNAi drugs by 2025.

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Story summary

Merck KGaA is acquiring Silence Therapeutics for about $1.3 billion in cash.
Merck will pay $20 per American depositary share, a 130% premium to the prior close.
Silence’s lead candidate divesiran showed 88% response versus 19% placebo in a Phase 2 trial.
Analysts estimate divesiran could generate roughly $400 million in annual sales by the mid-2030s.
The deal gives Merck access to the mRNAi-GOLD siRNA platform and assets such as zerlasiran.

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