Bayer has agreed to pay US$400 M upfront and committed up to US$1.1 B more to access Loxo Oncology’s tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitors larotrectinib and its follow-up drug LOXO-195. The drugs target TRK fusions, a genetic driver that can occur in multiple cancer types, and thus could be a novel therapy that specifically targets the underlying genetics of disease. Soon after Bayer also announced a second high-value deal with PeptiDream to identify macrocyclic/constrained peptides against multiple targets in oncology and cardiology, potentially totalling US$1.11 B.