Shares of Royalty Pharma plc (NASDAQ:RPRX) gained 2.4% in pre-market trading on Tuesday after the company said it had secured royalty interests linked to two emerging cancer treatments.
The firm is acquiring an existing low single-digit royalty on Nuvalent’s oncology drugs neladalkib and zidesamtinib in a transaction valued at up to $315 million. Both therapies are next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors aimed at treating defined genetic subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Neladalkib, which targets ALK-positive NSCLC, reported favorable pivotal data in November 2025 in patients previously treated with TKIs, showing sustained efficacy and a broadly manageable safety profile. The drug is also being tested in a Phase 3 trial involving patients who have not yet received TKI therapy.
Zidesamtinib, designed for ROS1-positive NSCLC, is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with a regulatory decision expected by September 18, 2026, for patients who have already undergone TKI treatment. In parallel, the therapy is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 study for TKI-naïve patients.
Based on current analyst estimates, annual sales of neladalkib could reach roughly $3.5 billion by 2035, while zidesamtinib is forecast to generate about $1.9 billion over the same period.
Royalty Pharma said the acquired royalty interests are expected to remain in place until around 2041–2042 for both drugs, offering the company a potential long-term income stream tied to the future commercial success of these cancer therapies.