In another effort to bolster its oncology portfolio, Merck & Co. has agreed to pay US$35 M upfront and committed up to US$901 M more to develop one of Kelun-Biotech’s investigational antibody drug conjugates for the treatment of solid tumours. The deal shortly follows Merck's decision in May 2022 to gain rights to Kelun's ADC candidate, SKB-264, for development and commercialisation outside Greater China. In recent years, Merck has entered into a number of ADC-focused deals, with companies such as Seagen and Starpharma, in an attempt to expand its capabilities.