Novartis is to pay $2 billion upfront and up to $1 billion in milestone payments for a US company with a therapy that has shown early, significant impact in treating breast cancer. The therapy, SNV4818, is a small molecule drug which entered clinical development in February 2025. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical study in patients with breast cancer and other solid tumours. The breast cancer indication was highlighted by Novartis in an announcement on 20 March because of the prevalence of cancers caused by mutations in the PIK3CA gene.
