Erasca Announces Clinical Trial Collaboration and Supply Agreement with Merck to Evaluate ERAS-0015 in Combination with KEYTRUDA® (Pembrolizumab)

ERAS-0015, a potentially best-in-class pan-RAS molecular glue, is being evaluated in combination with pembrolizumab

SAN DIEGO, May 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Erasca, Inc. (Nasdaq: ERAS), a clinical-stage precision oncology company singularly focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing therapies for patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers, today announced a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement (CTCSA) with Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada.

This agreement supports a clinical proof-of-concept study, AURORAS-1, evaluating the pan-RAS molecular glue ERAS-0015 in combination with KEYTRUDA^® (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with RAS-mutant (RASm) solid tumors. Erasca is sponsoring the study, and Merck is supplying pembrolizumab at no cost.

“We are excited to work with Merck to advance this promising investigational combination in RAS-driven cancers,” said Jonathan E. Lim, M.D., Erasca’s chairman, CEO, and co-founder. “RAS mutations activate the RAS/MAPK pathway and promote an immunosuppressive environment. Non-clinical data suggest that targeting the pathway with ERAS-0015 may complement PD-1 blockade by reducing immunosuppression and driving more robust and durable tumor responses.”

Worldwide, approximately 2.7 million patients are diagnosed annually with RASm tumors. Lack of effective treatments targeting multiple mutations and emergence of resistance mechanisms continue to challenge the ability to achieve and maintain responses across RAS-driven tumors. Erasca is exploring whether pan-RAS inhibition with ERAS-0015 in combination with pembrolizumab can further improve therapeutic benefits and limit the development of treatment resistance.

About ERAS-0015
ERAS-0015 is an investigational, oral, highly potent pan-RAS molecular glue designed to inhibit RAS signaling with a potential best-in-class profile. Erasca is evaluating ERAS-0015 in the AURORAS-1 Phase 1 trial in patients with RAS-mutant solid tumors. Early dose escalation data in AURORAS-1 demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability results, well-behaved, linear PK, and confirmed and unconfirmed partial responses in multiple patients across multiple tumor types with different RAS mutations, including confirmed and unconfirmed partial responses at doses as low as 8 mg once daily (QD). ERAS-0015 is also designed to prevent resistance against mutant-selective inhibitors through inhibition of RAS wildtype variants. In addition, ERAS-0015 has demonstrated favorable absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) and pharmacokinetic (PK) properties in multiple animal species.  

About Erasca
At Erasca, our name is our mission: To erase cancer. We are a clinical-stage precision oncology company singularly focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing therapies for patients with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers. Our company was co-founded by leading pioneers in precision oncology and RAS targeting to create novel therapies and combination regimens designed to comprehensively shut down the RAS/MAPK pathway for the treatment of patients with cancer. We believe our team’s capabilities and experience, further guided by our scientific advisory board which includes the world’s leading experts in the RAS/MAPK pathway, uniquely position us to achieve our bold mission of erasing cancer.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Erasca cautions you that statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations and include, but are not limited to: our expectations regarding the potential therapeutic benefits of our product candidates, including ERAS-0015; the planned advancement of our development pipeline, including the AURORAS-1 trial; and our ability to realize the benefits of the CTCSA described in this press release. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in our business, including, without limitation: our approach to the discovery and development of product candidates based on our singular focus on shutting down the RAS/MAPK pathway, a novel and unproven approach; preliminary results of a clinical trial are not necessarily indicative of final results and one or more of the clinical outcomes may materially change as patient enrollment continues, following more comprehensive reviews of the data and as more patient data becomes available, including the risk that an unconfirmed partial response to treatment may not ultimately result in a confirmed partial response to treatment after follow-up evaluations; observations regarding the first dosage level at which a clinical response is detected is are based on data generated within an individual clinical trial, and comparisons of clinical observations across different trials involve data from separate trials with distinct designs, patient populations, and methodologies, and therefore may not be directly comparable; any forward-looking statements regarding dose-response relationships reflect current expectations and/or assumptions are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially; our assumptions around which programs may have a higher probability of success may not be accurate, and we may expend our limited resources to pursue a particular product candidate and/or indication and fail to capitalize on product candidates or indications with greater development or commercial potential; potential delays in the commencement, enrollment, data readout, and completion of clinical trials and preclinical studies; our dependence on third parties in connection with manufacturing, research, and preclinical and clinical testing; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate efficacy of our product candidates that may limit their development, regulatory approval, and/or commercialization, or may result in recalls or product liability claims; unfavorable results from preclinical studies or clinical trials; the inability to realize any benefits from our current licenses, acquisitions, and collaborations, and any future licenses, acquisitions, or collaborations, and our ability to fulfill our obligations under such arrangements; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our product candidates and maintain our rights under intellectual property licenses, including our ability to successfully defend against allegations raised by, or any future litigation initiated by, Revolution Medicines (RevMed) that ERAS-0015 infringes patents held by RevMed or was derived from RevMed trade secrets; we may use our capital resources sooner than we expect; our ability to fund our operating plans with our current cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities; and other risks described in our prior filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and any subsequent filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

KEYTRUDA^® is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.

Contact:
Joyce Allaire
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com

Source: Erasca, Inc.

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