What is novartis?
Novartis is a multinational pharmaceutical company that develops and manufactures medicines, including through licensing and acquisition agreements in areas such as targeted protein degradation and antibody-drug conjugates.
Company timeline
- Jul 2026 - Jonathan Tobin said Myricx is the only company using NMT payloads that he is aware of, and that the bet made in 2023 was that attention would shift from linkers and targets to payloads.
- Sep 2026 - An Arvinas representative said the company kept many big pharma companies up to speed on its androgen receptor degrader progress for years before ultimately partnering with Novartis in 2024.
Where it appears in the record
Every line below is attributed to a named speaker.
Myricx is the only company known to use NMT (N-myristoyltransferase) payloads in antibody-drug conjugates, a differentiated approach that attracted Novartis in what may be a record preclinical acquisition.
“Myricx is the only company using NMT payloads that we're aware of.”Jonathan Tobin · 7 Jul 2026
ADC investor thesis shift circa 2023: attention moved from linkers and targets to payloads as the next frontier of differentiation in antibody-drug conjugate development.
“Really the bet was in 2023 that people would shift their attention from linkers and targets to the payloads.”Jonathan Tobin · 7 Jul 2026
Novartis acquisition of Myricx is described as the largest upfront payment ever made for a preclinical asset in an acquisition deal.
“I know that Jonathan Tobin also said this was the biggest upfront for a preclinical asset in an acquisition.”Jonathan Tobin · 7 Jul 2026
Arvinas partnered with Novartis in 2024 on its androgen receptor degrader program after years of proactively updating major pharma companies, illustrating how announced deals reflect long relationship pipelines.
“We kept many big pharma companies up to speed on our progress with our androgen receptor degraders for a lot of years before we ultimately partnered with Novartis in 2024.”Arvinas representative · 18 Sep 2026