HQ Team
March 24, 2026: Novartis AG has agreed to buy an investigational oral medicine of Pikavation Therapeutics, a subsidiary of privately-held Synnovation Therapeutics, to treat breast cancer, for a deal worth $3 billion.
SNV4818 is being developed to treat HR+/HER2 breast cancer — the most common type of breast cancer in women. Many breast cancers (about 40%) have a specific gene mutation called the PIK3CA mutation.
This mutation makes the cancer grow faster and often leads to a worse outcome for the patient. SNV4818 is designed as a next-generation PI3Kα inhibitor. It works by blocking the PI3Kα protein that is mutated.
The goal is to stop or slow down the cancer’s growth, especially in patients whose cancer has this mutation. Right now, SNV4818 is being tested in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for breast cancer and other advanced solid tumours.
Other options to treat breast cancer include hormone therapies or endocrine therapy, and CDK inhibitors. The SNV4818 medicine complements the CDK inhibitors and endocrine therapies as part of a potential combination regimen.
‘Mutant-selective chemistry’
“While mutated PI3Kα is a well‑established driver in HR+/HER2‑ breast cancer, there remains a challenge in achieving effective pathway inhibition with a tolerable therapeutic profile,” said Shreeram Aradhye, MD, President of Development at Novartis.
“SNV4818 applies new mutant‑selective chemistry to precisely target tumour biology while sparing normal (healthy) cells. This approach has the potential to translate proven biology into improved tolerability and more durable benefit for patients through precision medicine.”
PI3Kα inhibitors block both mutant and wild-type PI3Kα, leading to tolerability challenges that make it difficult to keep patients on treatment. By focusing on the mutated form in tumours, SNV4818 aims to reduce unwanted side effects, support more consistent dosing, and make it easier to combine with hormonal therapy and other treatments earlier in care.
Novartis will pay $2 billion upfront and up to $1 billion in milestone payments to Synnovation Therapeutics, LLC to acquire Pikavation Therapeutics, Inc., a wholly- owned subsidiary of Synnovation that holds a portfolio of pan-mutant selective PI3Kα inhibitor programs, including SNV4818.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026.
“We believe Novartis’s global capabilities and commitment to patients with cancer will accelerate the development of SNV4818 for patients with PI3Kα mutation–driven solid tumours beyond what Synnovation could achieve alone,” said Wenqing Yao, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Synnovation.
“We will continue advancing other promising programs in our R&D pipeline, including our selective PARP1 inhibitor, SNV1521, as well as additional oncology and immunology projects.”
