Halda Therapeutics Announces Acquisition by Johnson & Johnson

• Halda to be acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $3.05 billion in cash
• Halda recently presented positive Phase 1/2 data for HLD-0915 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and continues rapid clinical development
• Additional RIPTAC™ programs in development for major solid tumor types and other serious diseases

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Halda Therapeutics announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Johnson & Johnson will acquire Halda for $3.05 billion, payable in cash at closing, subject to customary adjustments.  

Halda’s portfolio includes HLD-0915, a first-in-class, oral RIPTAC™ therapeutic, in development for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Recently presented Phase 1/2 data demonstrated this novel therapy was well-tolerated and showed encouraging signs of anti-tumor activity, including reductions in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and responses by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), in patients with advanced prostate cancer, many of whom had progressed after multiple prior therapies and exhausted available treatments.

“Halda is dedicated to advancing its novel RIPTAC modality to develop the next generation of selective, proximity-based small molecule therapeutics for patients with serious diseases,” said Christian S. Schade, President and CEO of Halda. “Through this transaction, we will continue to rapidly develop this promising program for patients with prostate cancer and advance Halda’s innovative pipeline from its RIPTAC™ platform to address a range of diseases. This announcement is a tribute to the years of scientific effort to develop this novel, first-in-class modality and deliver significant value to our shareholders.”  

The transaction is expected to close within the next few months, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. Until then, Johnson & Johnson and Halda will continue to operate as separate and independent companies.

Centerview Partners LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Halda and Goodwin Procter is serving as legal counsel.

About HLD-0915

HLD-0915 is an innovative bifunctional small molecule therapy designed to selectively target prostate cancer tumors cells by holding together, with defined orientation and purpose, androgen receptor (AR, a tumor-specific intracellular targeting protein) and a protein with essential function (effector protein), BRD4. The ternary complex drives the formation of new protein-protein interactions, abrogating BRD4 function selectively within cancer cells which results in an anti-tumor effect. In preclinical prostate cancer models, orally delivered HLD-0915 treatment resulted in tumor shrinkage and declines in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), while delivering a favorable therapeutic index including in models of drug resistance. Halda has presented initial Phase 1 clinical data of HLD-0915 in mCRPC patients demonstrating safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy.

The first-in-human findings demonstrate that HLD-0915 was well-tolerated and showed encouraging preliminary signs of anti-tumor activity, including reductions in PSA, ctDNA and partial responses by RECIST, in patients with advanced prostate cancer who had progressed on multiple prior therapies. Anti-tumor activity was observed at all doses and occurred in patients with adverse AR and non-AR molecular characteristics.

About Halda Therapeutics

Halda Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that has developed a proprietary RIPTAC™ (Regulated Induced Proximity Targeting Chimeras) modality that works by a novel “hold and kill” mechanism for the precision treatment of cancer and other diseases. The novel mechanism of action of RIPTAC therapeutics is uniquely designed to address cancer’s ability to evolve bypass mechanisms of resistance, a common limitation of today’s precision oncology medicines. Our lead RIPTAC programs are in clinical and pre-clinical development for major solid tumor types with additional RIPTAC therapeutic programs in our pipeline to treat serious diseases. Halda is led by a leadership team with deep expertise in biotechnology, drug discovery, platform innovation, and clinical development, and is in New Haven, CT. Halda was founded in 2019 and has been funded by Canaan Partners, Access Biotechnology, Deep Track Capital, Frazier Life Sciences, RA Capital Management, Vida Ventures, Boxer Capital and Taiho Ventures. For more information, please visit www.haldatx.com  and follow us on LinkedIn.

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