Royalty Pharma announces $7.5 million gift to Blood Cancer United to expand Therapy Acceleration Program

Royalty Pharma’s $7.5 million gift backs a venture philanthropy model aimed at speeding new blood cancer therapies to patients.

Rhea-AI Summary

Royalty Pharma (RPRX) announced a $7.5 million gift to Blood Cancer United’s Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP) to support development of promising blood cancer therapies.

Royalty Pharma becomes TAP’s first and largest corporate donor under an updated model that enables direct donations, which are deployed as venture capital-style investments in early-stage biotech companies targeting unmet needs in blood cancer. In addition to funding, TAP provides scientific, clinical and business expertise, and reinvests any financial returns into future partnerships. The program has already backed work that led to FDA approval of ziftomenib for certain adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia. Other inaugural support for this next phase includes a $1 million contribution from Blood Cancer UK and a $15 million commitment from Blood Cancer United.

News Explained

The gift expands a prior five-year alliance, while TAP reports six supported therapies approved or guideline-listed and more than 30 active studies.

The announced $7.5 million gift expands Royalty Pharma’s 2022 five-year, $7.5 million alliance with Blood Cancer United, which focused on healthcare disparities and clinical-trial access, into TAP’s updated funding model.

TAP reports that six supported therapies have received U.S. FDA approval or been included in National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, while more than 30 active clinical studies are evaluating supported therapies.

Market Context

At publication, RPRX had a pre-headline 0.75% gain while peers were mixed, placing the donation anno...

Analysis

At publication, RPRX had a pre-headline 0.75% gain while peers were mixed, placing the donation announcement in a market without a documented sector-wide move; supplied data did not link the prior price change to the gift.

Key Figures

Donation: $7.5 million Prior alliance: $7.5 million over five years Blood Cancer UK contribution: $1 million +3 more

Donation

$7.5 million

Donation from Royalty Pharma to the Therapy Acceleration Program

Prior alliance

$7.5 million over five years

Alliance launched in 2022 with Blood Cancer United

Blood Cancer UK contribution

$1 million

Contribution to the Therapy Acceleration Program

Blood Cancer United commitment

$15 million

Commitment to support the program's continued growth

Supported therapies

6 therapies

Therapies later approved by the FDA or included in NCCN guidelines

Active clinical studies

More than 30

Active studies evaluating supported therapies

Key Terms

venture philanthropy, acute myeloid leukemia, menin inhibitors, NPM1 mutation, +1 more

5 terms

venture philanthropy financial

"a collaborative venture philanthropy initiative designed to accelerate"

Venture philanthropy is a way of supporting charities or social projects using tools and a mindset borrowed from venture capital: longer-term funding, hands-on advice, performance goals, and capacity building rather than one-off donations. For investors and market watchers it matters because this approach can accelerate scalable solutions, create measurable outcomes, attract additional private capital, and change risk-and-reward profiles for social investments much like an investor guiding a startup toward growth.

acute myeloid leukemia medical

"adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia"

A fast‑moving blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and crowd out healthy blood cell production, leaving the body short of normal red cells, white cells and platelets. It matters to investors because the disease creates urgent medical need, drives demand for new diagnostics and treatments, and so clinical trial results, regulatory decisions and drug pricing can rapidly change the commercial prospects and valuation of companies working on therapies.

menin inhibitors medical

"a new class of drugs known as menin inhibitors"

Menin inhibitors are medicines that block the activity of the menin protein, which acts like a key connector that helps certain cancer cells turn on growth programs. By disrupting that connection, these drugs can slow or stop tumors that rely on menin-driven pathways from growing. Investors care because menin inhibitors represent a targeted drug class with potential to address hard-to-treat blood cancers; clinical trial results, regulatory approval, and commercial uptake drive value and risk.

NPM1 mutation medical

"with a susceptible NPM1 mutation"

A NPM1 mutation is a specific change in the NPM1 gene that alters a protein involved in controlling cell growth and location inside cells; it is most commonly seen in a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Investors care because it serves as a clear biomarker used to diagnose and monitor the disease, predict how aggressive it will be, and identify patients who may benefit from targeted drugs or tests—much like a factory's wrong instruction sheet that both reveals a problem and points to a precise fix.

FDA-approved regulatory

"Ziftomenib is now FDA-approved as a targeted therapy"

FDA-approved means a medical product, drug, device or treatment has passed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s review for safety and effectiveness for a specific use. Think of it like a formal safety and performance seal that allows the product to be marketed for that purpose in the U.S.; for investors, approval reduces regulatory uncertainty, enables sales and reimbursement pathways, and can materially affect a company’s revenue prospects and valuation.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Royalty Pharma and Blood Cancer United today announced a $7.5 million donation from Royalty Pharma to support Blood Cancer United’s Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP), a collaborative venture philanthropy initiative designed to accelerate the development of promising blood cancer therapies through strategic equity investments and hands-on collaboration with biotech companies.

The donation marks a new phase for TAP, with Royalty Pharma serving as the first and largest corporate donor under an updated model that invites direct donations to the program. TAP donations are deployed as venture capital investments in early-stage biotech companies advancing therapies with high potential to address significant unmet needs in blood cancer. In addition to providing critical funding, TAP offers scientific, clinical and business expertise, strategic guidance and access to a global network of blood cancer experts to help bring new therapies closer to patients.

TAP is designed to generate outcomes aligned with Blood Cancer United’s mission, including positive clinical trial results, regulatory approvals, and new treatment options for patients. Financial returns from TAP are reinvested into the program to support future partnerships and investments, extending the impact of donor support and helping accelerate the development of future blood cancer therapies.

“For nearly 30 years, Royalty Pharma has invested in scientific and medical innovation, including many important advances in blood cancer,” said Pablo Legorreta, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Royalty Pharma. “We believe that scientific discovery can only transform patients’ lives when it is successfully translated into medicines. This gift reflects both our longstanding commitment to advancing blood cancer innovation and our confidence in Blood Cancer United’s ability to help promising therapies move closer to patients.”

This donation builds on a collaborative partnership between Blood Cancer United and Royalty Pharma. In 2022, Royalty Pharma launched a five-year, $7.5 million alliance with the organization focused on addressing healthcare disparities in blood cancer care and treatment, including expanding access to clinical trials for underserved patients. The new gift expands that relationship with a shared commitment to drive the next generation of blood cancer therapies to patients.

“As scientific advances create new possibilities for patients, many promising therapies still fail to reach patients,” said Dr. E. Anders Kolb, president and CEO of Blood Cancer United. “TAP helps move those therapies forward by supporting companies at a critical stage of development where funding and expertise can determine whether a therapy advances or stalls. This gift from Royalty Pharma will help us continue to advance science, create new treatment options, and ultimately improve outcomes for people with blood cancer.”

Watch Dr. Kolb discuss this milestone for TAP.

“It takes a lot of determination and smart people, along with a fair amount of good fortune and investors, of course, to develop new treatments, especially for rare diseases,” said Troy Wilson, Ph.D., JD, president, CEO and co-founder of Kura Oncology. “TAP and Royalty Pharma are a formidable pairing that combines all of that. Above all, they share our conviction that patients must remain at the center of every decision we make.”

TAP and Blood Cancer United provided early, critical support for foundational work conducted at the University of Michigan and played a key role in introducing that work to Kura Oncology. Kura then advanced the development of ziftomenib, a member of a new class of drugs known as menin inhibitors. Ziftomenib is now FDA-approved as a targeted therapy for adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with a susceptible NPM1 mutation.

Royalty Pharma’s commitment is part of a broader effort by a group of inaugural funders supporting this next phase of TAP. Blood Cancer UK also contributed $1 million to the program, and Blood Cancer United committed $15 million to support TAP’s continued growth.

About Royalty Pharma plc 

Founded in 1996, Royalty Pharma is the largest buyer of biopharmaceutical royalties and a leading funder of innovation across the biopharmaceutical industry, collaborating with innovators from academic institutions, research hospitals and non-profits through small and mid-cap biotechnology companies to leading global pharmaceutical companies. Royalty Pharma has assembled a portfolio of royalties which entitles it to payments based directly on the top-line sales of many of the industry’s leading therapies. Royalty Pharma funds innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry both directly and indirectly – directly when it partners with companies to co-fund late-stage clinical trials and new product launches in exchange for future royalties, and indirectly when it acquires existing royalties from the original innovators. Royalty Pharma’s current portfolio includes royalties on more than 35 commercial products, including Vertex’s Trikafta and Alyftrek, GSK’s Trelegy, Roche’s Evrysdi, Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya, Biogen’s Tysabri and Spinraza, Servier’s Voranigo, AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson’s Imbruvica, Astellas and Pfizer’s Xtandi, Pfizer’s Nurtec ODT, and Gilead’s Trodelvy, and 17 development-stage product candidates. For more information, visit www.royaltypharma.com.

About Blood Cancer United^®

Blood Cancer United^® (formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) is the largest global nonprofit focused on blood cancer patient support, research, and advocacy. Since their founding in 1949, the organization has consistently evolved to better serve people affected by all 100-plus types of blood cancer. Blood Cancer United funds innovative research, offers free resources and personalized support, and advocates at state and national levels for more accessible and affordable healthcare for all patients. To learn more, visit www.BloodCancerUnited.org. 

About Therapy Acceleration Program

The Therapy Acceleration Program^® is Blood Cancer United’s mission-driven, strategic venture philanthropy initiative that seeks to accelerate the development of innovative blood cancer therapies and change the standard of care.

TAP collaborates with biotech companies to support the development of novel platforms, first-in-class therapies addressing high unmet medical needs, emerging patient populations, and orphan indications. 

Founded in 2007, TAP was created to help move promising blood cancer therapies into clinical development faster. As it approaches its 20th year, the program continues to provide funding and scientific, clinical and drug development expertise to advance therapies at critical stages of development to address unmet medical needs.

Since its launch, TAP has supported six therapies that have gone on to receive U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval or be included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. More than 30 active clinical studies are currently evaluating TAP supported therapies.

The updated TAP model builds on Blood Cancer United’s longstanding approach to funding science while expanding opportunities for collaboration with industry and philanthropic partners. By enabling directed donations to TAP and continuing to reinvest returns, the model is intended to help accelerate the pace of drug development.

Royalty Pharma Investor Relations and Communications

+1 (212) 883-6772
ir@royaltypharma.com

Blood Cancer United Media Contact

Sandra Salviejo
Senior Director, Communications, Blood Cancer United
sandrasalviejo@bloodcancerunited.org

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What is the Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP)?

The Therapy Acceleration Program is Blood Cancer United’s venture philanthropy initiative that collaborates with biotech companies to accelerate innovative blood cancer therapies, especially first-in-class treatments, novel platforms, and therapies for high unmet needs, emerging patient groups, and orphan indications.

How has TAP contributed to approved blood cancer treatments so far?

TAP and Blood Cancer United provided early support for foundational work at the University of Michigan that was introduced to Kura Oncology, which advanced ziftomenib, now FDA-approved for adults with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with a susceptible NPM1 mutation. Since launch, TAP-supported efforts have led to six therapies receiving FDA approval or inclusion in National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines.

How extensive is TAP’s current development portfolio?

More than 30 active clinical studies are currently evaluating TAP-supported therapies, reflecting the program’s focus on advancing treatments at critical stages of development.

How long has TAP been operating and what is its purpose?

Founded in 2007, TAP was created to move promising blood cancer therapies into clinical development faster. It provides both funding and scientific, clinical and drug development expertise to help advance therapies addressing unmet medical needs.