Merck & Co. has entered into a licensing and research agreement with Mestag Therapeutics in a deal worth up to US$1.9 B. Through the deal, both companies will work together to develop new treatment options for patients with inflammatory disorders and fibrosis. Mestag will leverage its reversing activated fibroblast technology (RAFT) platform, a technology designed to model the pathogenic role of fibroblasts in human disease, to identify novel drug targets. This deal marks the second big pharma partnership for Mestag following its deal with Janssen in 2021.