Sanofi Exercises License Extension Option to Nurix’s STAT6 Program

Rhea-AI Summary

Nurix Therapeutics (NRIX) announced that Sanofi has exercised its option to exclusively license Nurix's STAT6 program, including NX-3911, an oral STAT6 degrader. The license extension triggers a $15M payment to Nurix, bringing total collaboration payments to $127M. Nurix remains eligible for up to $465M in additional milestones plus royalties and retains U.S. co-development/co-promotion rights. NX-3911, developed using Nurix's DEL-AI platform, targets STAT6, a key factor in type 2 inflammation driving conditions like atopic dermatitis and asthma. The drug has shown promising preclinical results, achieving complete STAT6 degradation and demonstrating efficacy comparable to STAT6 gene knockout in animal models. This marks Sanofi's second license extension of a Nurix autoimmune program in 90 days, validating Nurix's drug discovery platform.

Positive

• $15M immediate payment received from Sanofi license extension
• Potential for additional $465M in milestone payments plus royalties
• Strong preclinical efficacy demonstrated in atopic dermatitis and asthma models
• Second license extension by Sanofi in 90 days, validating Nurix's platform
• Retains option for U.S. co-development and co-promotion rights
• Total of $127M received from Sanofi collaboration to date

Negative

• Product still in preclinical stage with no human trial data yet
• Development and commercialization success dependent on Sanofi's execution

Insights

Biotech Business Analyst

Sanofi's $15M license extension for Nurix's STAT6 program strengthens partnership, validating Nurix's platform with significant milestone potential.

This license extension represents a significant validation of Nurix's DEL-AI platform technology and targeted protein degradation approach. The $15 million fee brings total payments from Sanofi to $127 million since their 2019 collaboration began. More importantly, Nurix remains eligible for up to $465 million in additional development, regulatory, and commercial milestones for this program alone, plus potential royalties.

What makes this particularly notable is that this marks Sanofi's second license extension of a Nurix autoimmune program in just 90 days, demonstrating growing confidence in Nurix's technology platform. The STAT6 program targets a key transcription factor in allergic inflammation pathways, with applications in atopic dermatitis and asthma - both representing substantial market opportunities.

The deal structure preserves significant optionality for Nurix, as they retain co-development and co-promotion rights in the US market. If exercised, this would allow Nurix to capture 50% of US profits rather than just receiving milestone payments and royalties. This strategic flexibility could substantially increase Nurix's long-term economics from the program if NX-3911 proves successful in clinical development.

Importantly, Nurix disclosed that preclinical models show efficacy equivalent to STAT6 gene knockout, suggesting potentially robust clinical performance. The company also mentioned additional differentiated discovery-stage assets in the STAT6 program, indicating pipeline depth that could represent further licensing opportunities within the Sanofi collaboration.

STAT6 is a key transcription factor within the IL4/IL13 signaling pathways which act as drivers of inflammation in allergic conditions

Nurix to receive a $15 million license extension fee from Sanofi under its 2019 collaboration agreement, bringing the total amount received by Nurix under this collaboration to date to $127 million

Nurix is eligible for an additional $465 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestones associated with the STAT6 program as well as potential future royalties and retains an option to co-develop and co-promote in the U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO, June 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRIX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted protein degradation medicines, announced today that Sanofi has exercised its option to exclusively license Nurix’s STAT6 program, including the drug development candidate NX-3911, an oral, highly selective STAT6 degrader. STAT6 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 6) plays a central role in type 2 inflammation, which drives diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma.

“Using our DEL-AI platform, we identified novel DEL-derived chemical matter from which we developed, together with Sanofi, a potential best-in-class STAT6 degrader, NX-3911, which achieves rapid and complete STAT6 degradation,” said Gwenn M. Hansen, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Nurix. “NX-3911 is a potent, selective, orally administered degrader of STAT6 that shows robust efficacy in multiple preclinical models of atopic dermatitis and asthma, demonstrating anti-inflammatory efficacy in animal models equivalent to a STAT6 gene knockout.”

“This is the second license extension of a Nurix autoimmune disease program by Sanofi in the last 90 days, highlighting the power of our proprietary DEL-AI drug discovery platform to fuel the discovery of novel medicines to a range of therapeutically important targets like STAT6,” said Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Nurix. “Notably, our STAT6 program also includes additional differentiated discovery-stage assets, which could represent an additional product opportunity within our Sanofi collaboration.”

Under the 2019 collaboration agreement, Nurix is deploying its proprietary DEL-AI drug discovery platform to identify novel agents that use E3 ligases to induce degradation of specified drug targets. Sanofi has an option to license drug candidates resulting from the work, and Nurix retains its option to co-develop and co-promote up to two future products in the United States after studies to assess dosing, efficacy, and safety that provide clinical proof of concept. For those programs for which Nurix exercises its option to co-develop and co-promote, the parties will split U.S profits and losses evenly and Nurix will be eligible to receive royalties on ex-U.S. sales on all optioned products. For programs that Nurix does not exercise its option, Nurix will receive milestones and royalties based on global development and sales. Upon signing the agreement in December 2019, Sanofi made an upfront payment of $55 million and subsequently paid an additional $22 million one year later to expand the scope of the collaboration. To date, Nurix has received a total of $127 million from Sanofi as part of this collaboration and remains eligible for up to $465 million in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones per licensed program as well as royalties on future sales.

About STAT6 

STAT6 is a key transcription factor within the IL-4/IL-13 signaling pathways which act as drivers of inflammation in allergic conditions. Degrading STAT6 as a therapeutic strategy is supported by insights from mouse and human genetic studies as well as through clinical validation with either biologics targeting IL4/13 or small molecule inhibitors targeting the Janus Kinase (JAK) family. JAK proteins, which are upstream of STAT6, mediate the signaling of multiple cytokines, and as a result, JAK inhibition is associated with safety concerns. A potent, selective, and orally administered STAT6 degrader offers the potential for antibody-like efficacy and safety, with the convenience of a pill.

About Nurix Therapeutics, Inc.

Nurix Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted protein degradation medicines, the next frontier in innovative drug design aimed at improving treatment options for patients with cancer and inflammatory diseases. Nurix’s wholly owned, clinical stage pipeline includes degraders of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK), a B-cell signaling protein, and inhibitors of Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene B (CBL-B), an E3 ligase that regulates activation of multiple immune cell types including T cells and NK cells. Nurix also is advancing multiple potentially first-in-class or best-in-class degraders and degrader antibody conjugates (DACs) in its preclinical pipeline. Nurix’s partnered drug discovery pipeline consists of preclinical stage degraders of IRAK4 and STAT6, as well as multiple additional programs under collaboration agreements with Gilead Sciences, Inc., Sanofi S.A. and Pfizer Inc., within which Nurix retains certain options for co-development, co-commercialization and profit sharing in the United States for multiple drug candidates. Powered by a fully AI-integrated discovery engine capable of tackling any protein class, and coupled with unparalleled ligase expertise, Nurix’s dedicated team has built a formidable advantage in translating the science of targeted protein degradation into clinical advancements. Nurix aims to establish degrader-based treatments at the forefront of patient care, writing medicine’s next chapter with a new script to outmatch disease. Nurix is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For additional information visit http://www.nurixtx.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that relate to future events and expectations and as such constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When or if used in this press release, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “predict,” “should,” “will,” and similar expressions and their variants, as they relate to Nurix, may identify forward-looking statements. All statements that reflect Nurix’s expectations, assumptions or projections about the future, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding: Nurix’s expectations, plans and prospects, including with respect to the Nurix-Sanofi collaboration; the potential benefits of the Nurix-Sanofi collaboration, including the potential achievement of collaboration milestones and license payments; Nurix’s expectations with respect NX-3911, including its potential as a STAT6 drug; the extent to which NX-3911 may address a range of diseases, including atopic dermatitis and asthma; and the potential advantages of Nurix’s scientific approach and DEL-AI platform. Forward-looking statements reflect Nurix’s current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions. Although Nurix believes the expectations and assumptions reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, Nurix can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict, which could cause Nurix’s actual activities and results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: (i) the ability of each party to perform its obligations under the Nurix-Sanofi collaboration; (ii) whether the parties will be able to successfully conduct and complete preclinical development, clinical development and commercialization of NX-3911 or any other drug candidate under the Nurix-Sanofi collaboration; (iii) the extent to which animal models predict clinical results; (iv) the unexpected emergence of adverse events or other undesirable side effects during preclinical and clinical development; (v) whether Nurix will be able to fund development activities and achieve development goals, including those under the Nurix-Sanofi collaboration; (vi) risks and uncertainties relating to the timing and receipt of payments from Nurix’s collaboration partners, including milestone payments and royalties on future potential product sales; and (vii) other risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” in Nurix’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended February 28, 2025, and other SEC filings. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by Nurix on its website or otherwise. Nurix disclaims any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Contacts:

Investors
Kris Fortner
Nurix Therapeutics, Inc.
ir@nurixtx.com

Elizabeth Wolffe, Ph.D.
Wheelhouse Life Science Advisors
lwolffe@wheelhouselsa.com

Media
Aljanae Reynolds
Wheelhouse Life Science Advisors
areynolds@wheelhouselsa.com

FAQ

What is the value of Sanofi's license extension payment to Nurix (NRIX)?

Sanofi will pay Nurix a $15 million license extension fee for the STAT6 program, bringing total collaboration payments to $127 million.

What is NX-3911 and how does it work?

NX-3911 is an oral, selective STAT6 degrader that targets inflammation in conditions like atopic dermatitis and asthma by degrading the STAT6 protein, a key factor in type 2 inflammation.

What are the potential milestone payments for NRIX from the Sanofi agreement?

Nurix is eligible for up to $465 million in development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, plus potential royalties on future sales.

What rights does Nurix retain in the Sanofi collaboration?

Nurix retains the option to co-develop and co-promote up to two products in the United States, with potential 50-50 profit sharing for U.S. sales.

How has NX-3911 performed in testing so far?

NX-3911 has shown robust efficacy in preclinical models of atopic dermatitis and asthma, with anti-inflammatory effects equivalent to STAT6 gene knockout in animal studies.