Revolution Medicines announced a groundbreaking $2 billion flexible funding partnership with Royalty Pharma to advance its portfolio of RAS(ON) inhibitors for patients with RAS-addicted cancers. The agreement enables the late-stage clinical oncology company to maintain full strategic and operational control while securing substantial capital for global development and commercialization efforts.
"Today's announcement represents a major boost to our bold vision on behalf of patients with RAS-addicted cancers," said Mark A. Goldsmith M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and chairman of Revolution Medicines. "This funding agreement significantly increases the financial resources we can deploy while preserving optionality as we scale our operations to create the industry-leading global targeted medicines franchise for patients with RAS-addicted cancers based on our highly differentiated RAS(ON) inhibitor portfolio."
Funding Structure and Terms
The comprehensive funding package consists of two primary components: up to $1.25 billion in synthetic royalty monetization and up to $750 million in corporate debt. Notably, $1.25 billion of the total funding remains optional to Revolution Medicines at its discretion, subject to achieving specific milestones.
The synthetic royalty component centers on daraxonrasib, the company's RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibitor. Royalty Pharma will provide funding in exchange for tiered royalties over 15 years on worldwide annual net sales, with rates that decrease based on sales volume and reach zero for sales above $8 billion annually.
The $1.25 billion synthetic royalty funding is structured in five tranches of $250 million each. Revolution Medicines received the first $250 million at closing, with the second tranche due upon positive data readout from the RASolute 302 study, a global Phase 3 trial in patients with previously treated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
For the initial two tranches totaling $500 million, royalty rates are set at 4.55% on the first $2 billion in annual net sales, 2.50% on $2 billion to $4 billion, 1.00% on $4 billion to $8 billion, and zero above $8 billion. At $8 billion in annual net sales, the effective blended royalty rate for these tranches would be 2.26%.
Debt Facility Details
The debt component provides up to $750 million through a senior secured term loan consisting of three $250 million tranches linked to daraxonrasib commercialization. The company would receive the first debt tranche following FDA approval of daraxonrasib for metastatic PDAC treatment, provided this occurs by January 1, 2028.
The term loan operates as an interest-only facility, with principal due at the earlier of six years after the first tranche funding or December 31, 2032. The interest rate is calculated based on the 3-month Standard Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus 5.75%, with a SOFR floor of 3.50%.
Pipeline Integration and Strategic Implications
The funding agreement accounts for potential overlapping indications across Revolution Medicines' pipeline. If zoldonrasib, the company's RAS(ON) G12D-selective inhibitor, receives approval for the same indication as daraxonrasib, zoldonrasib sales would be included in total net sales subject to the royalty schedule. However, if zoldonrasib is approved solely for indications outside of daraxonrasib's scope, those sales would not be subject to royalties under this agreement.
Pablo Legorreta, founder and chief executive officer of Royalty Pharma, emphasized the innovative nature of the partnership: "This partnership exemplifies a new funding paradigm for highly innovative biotech companies. In contrast to a conventional pharma partnership, this large scale and flexible funding agreement enables Revolution Medicines to retain control of the clinical development of daraxonrasib, as well as the ability to capture significant value creation that would result from the successful clinical development and commercialization of its pipeline."
Company Portfolio and Development Pipeline
Revolution Medicines' R&D pipeline comprises RAS(ON) inhibitors designed to suppress diverse oncogenic variants of RAS proteins. Beyond daraxonrasib, the company's portfolio includes elironrasib (RMC-6291), a RAS(ON) G12C-selective inhibitor, and zoldonrasib (RMC-9805), a RAS(ON) G12D-selective inhibitor, all currently in clinical development.
The company anticipates that RMC-5127, a RAS(ON) G12V-selective inhibitor, will be its next RAS(ON) inhibitor to enter clinical development. Additional development opportunities focus on RAS(ON) mutant-selective inhibitors, including RMC-0708 (Q61H) and RMC-8839 (G13C).
As a result of this funding agreement, Revolution Medicines has removed its cash runway end date guidance, providing enhanced financial flexibility for its development programs. The transaction was supported by TD Securities as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins as legal advisor to Revolution Medicines, while Goodwin Procter and Maiwald served as legal advisors to Royalty Pharma.
