Sanofi and Gilead Expand Kymera Partnerships to Advance Protein Degraders

Highlights

• Gilead enters a collaboration with Kymera Therapeutics worth up to $750 million, including an $85 million upfront payment, to develop a molecular glue targeting CDK2 for solid tumors.
• Kymera retains control of research for the CDK2 program; Gilead holds exclusive licensing rights and will pay tiered royalties on product sales.
• Sanofi advances a preclinical next-generation IRAK4 degrader, SAR447971, while discontinuing its previous lead candidate, KT-474.
• Sanofi and Kymera originally partnered in 2020 in a deal worth up to $2 billion, focusing on immune-mediated diseases.
• Protein degraders and molecular glues are increasingly gaining industry interest, with several billion-dollar partnerships announced in 2024 and 2025.

Major Collaborations with Kymera Signal Industry Momentum

Massachusetts-based Kymera Therapeutics is at the center of two significant biopharmaceutical developments this week, having expanded its partnership with Sanofi and entered into a new collaboration with Gilead Sciences. Both deals revolve around Kymera’s expertise in protein degradation, a therapeutic approach gaining traction across the biotech industry.

Gilead Commits Up to $750 Million for CDK2 Program

Gilead Sciences has partnered with Kymera to develop a molecular glue degrader aimed at targeting and eliminating the CDK2 protein, with an initial focus on treating solid tumors such as breast cancer. The deal is valued at up to $750 million and includes an $85 million upfront payment.

As stated in the official announcement, the collaboration aims to “accelerate the development and commercialization” of the CDK2-targeting molecule, which the companies say holds “broad oncology treatment potential.” Under the agreement, Kymera will lead research activities, while Gilead retains the option to exclusively license the asset for further development and commercialization.

Should Gilead exercise this option, Kymera stands to receive tiered royalties ranging from high single digits to mid-teens on net product sales.

Sanofi Advances Next-Generation IRAK4 Inhibitor

On the same day, Kymera also announced a major development in its existing collaboration with Sanofi. The French pharmaceutical company has elected to advance a preclinical protein degrader known as KT-485, or SAR447971, into clinical trials targeting immune-mediated diseases.

The companies initially began working together in July 2020 under a deal that included a $150 million upfront payment and the potential for up to $2 billion in milestone payments. This original agreement granted Sanofi access to Kymera’s IRAK4 program, which included the now-discontinued lead asset KT-474.

The newer candidate, SAR447971, is described as a “highly potent and selective” oral drug designed to degrade the IRAK4 protein, a scaffolding kinase that plays a critical role in modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. According to the companies, targeting IRAK4 with protein degraders could yield significant anti-inflammatory effects.

However, the strategic shift to SAR447971 likely signals a delay in the program’s timeline. As noted by analysts from Truist Securities, “We believe this means the IRAK4 program could be pushed out by ~3 years.” Sanofi aims to begin Phase I clinical trials for SAR447971 next year, and Kymera received a $20 million milestone payment in Q2 for its preclinical work on the compound.

Rising Interest in Protein Degradation Modalities

The latest developments with Sanofi and Gilead reflect a broader trend in the biotech sector, where protein degraders and molecular glues are attracting significant investment and attention. These emerging therapeutic modalities offer a new way to eliminate disease-causing proteins that are often considered "undruggable" by traditional approaches.

In recent months, several major pharmaceutical companies have entered similar agreements. In May, Roche, through Genentech, announced a potential $2 billion expansion of its cancer-focused partnership with Orionis Biosciences. Earlier this year, AbbVie pledged up to $1.64 billion to work with Neomorph on molecular glues for cancer and immunology, while Eli Lilly committed more than $1.2 billion in a collaboration with Magnet Biomedicine.