Novartis agreed to pay $1.1 billion upfront to acquire Myricx Bio, aiming to expand its antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) pipeline with a payload platform built around N-myristoyltransferase inhibitor (NMTi) biology. Myricx’s lead programs target HER2 and B7-H3, using NMTi payloads that the company says may address resistance and limitations seen with more common ADC payload classes. Preclinical work described in the story reported that NMTi-ADCs matched or beat topoisomerase I inhibitor (TOPO-1) approaches in solid cancer models against the same targets. The acquisition places Novartis deeper into an ADC market where several competitors have already gained traction with established payload mechanisms, including TOPO-1 and microtubule inhibitors. The key question for the company will be whether NMTi payloads translate into clinically meaningful improvements, particularly in settings where incumbent payloads underperform.