Leadership Signals Confidence as Deal Heads Toward 2026 Close
Merck CEO Robert Davis said the company intends to build on Cidara’s momentum. “We continue to execute our science-led business development strategy, augmenting our pipeline with CD388,” he said, calling the antiviral potentially “first-in-class.”
Cidara CEO Jeffrey Stein added that CD388 could stand alongside vaccines and existing treatments as “an additional option” for flu prevention, praising Merck’s resources to deliver the therapy to high-risk populations.
The transaction is set to close in the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approval and a majority tender of Cidara shares.
Top Law Firms Play Key Roles in the Mega-Deal
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP advised Goldman Sachs, Cidara’s financial adviser, with partners Roy Tannenbaum and Philip Richter leading the team.
Gibson Dunn’s deal team was led by Saee Muzumdar, joined by partners Sebastian Fain, Pamela Lawrence Endreny, Michael Collins, Karen Spindler, Meghan Hungate, Steve Weissman and Bradley Smith.
Cooley’s representation of Cidara was led by partners Rama Padmanabhan, Charles Bair, Jane Adams and Rowook Park, alongside senior counsel Barbara Borden and special counsel Julia Kim.
