Terns Pharmaceuticals Acquisition, Valuation & Financials

Terns Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Merck for $6.7B in March 2026.

Terns Pharmaceuticals acquisition price

$6.7B

Acquired by Merck · Mar 2026

Terns Pharmaceuticals revenue as a public company

-

Last twelve months · Apr 2026

Cumulative funding Terns Pharmaceuticals raised

$197M

across 3 funding rounds

Terns Pharmaceuticals market cap before the deal

$6.1B

BER: 430 · Apr 2026

Terns Pharmaceuticals Overview

About Terns Pharmaceuticals

Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The company is developing a portfolio of small-molecule single-agent and combination therapy candidates for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, NASH, and other chronic liver diseases. Its product candidates include TERN-701, TERN-601, TERN-501 and TERN-800.


Founded

2016

HQ

United StatesSan Francisco, CA

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Licensing

Revenue

- (Apr 2026)

Valuation

$6.7B (acquired Mar 2026)

Terns Pharmaceuticals Acquisition

Terns Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Merck for $6.7B on 23 March 2026.

Before the acquisition Terns Pharmaceuticals had raised $197M across 3 funding rounds.

Terns Pharmaceuticals acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePrice
23 Mar 2026Strategic M&A$6.7B

Terns Pharmaceuticals as a Public Company

Terns Pharmaceuticals traded as BER: 430 before it was taken private. Its acquisition was announced in March 2026. April 2026 is its last month on record as a listed company, with a market cap of $6.1B and an enterprise value of $5.1B.

Over the 4 years before that, its market cap grew from $40M in April 2022 to $6.1B.

Terns Pharmaceuticals market cap while listed

Terns Pharmaceuticals EV/Revenue (LTM) while listed

Terns Pharmaceuticals financials and trading multiples by year while listed
As ofMarket capRevenue (LTM)EBITDA (LTM)EBITDA marginEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
Apr 2026$6.1B-($117M)--(43.7x)
Apr 2025$288M-($108M)--0.6x
Apr 2024$327M$600K($104M)-16125%98.9x(0.6x)
Apr 2023$740M-($64M)--(7.1x)
Apr 2022$40M$700K($55M)-8225%245.1x(3.0x)

Market cap, enterprise value and last-twelve-month figures are month-end values, up to the last month Terns Pharmaceuticals traded.

Terns Pharmaceuticals Funding History

Terns Pharmaceuticals has raised a total of $197M across 3 funding rounds.

Terns Pharmaceuticals' first fundraising round was a $30M Series A in April 2018. The most recent completed round was a $87M Series C in January 2021.

Terns Pharmaceuticals funding rounds

Terns Pharmaceuticals funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jan 2021Series CDeerfield (lead); Suvretta Capital Management; Vivo Capital; Eli Lilly; Lilly Asia Ventures; OrbiMed; Samara Capital$87MTerns Pharmaceuticals closed an USD 87 million Series C financing in January 2021, led by Deerfield Management with a strategic equity investment from Eli Lilly and Company. OrbiMed, Lilly Asia Ventures, Vivo Capital, Samsara Capital, Suvretta Capital Management and undisclosed new investors also took part, and a Deerfield partner joined the board when the round closed. The proceeds were intended to advance the company's NASH portfolio through clinical trials. Terns is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapies for chronic liver disease, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, with lead programs including TERN-101, a liver-distributed nonsteroidal FXR agonist. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Foster City, California, with clinical development operations in China. It had previously raised a USD 30 million Series A and an USD 80 million Series B co-led by Vivo Capital and OrbiMed.
Oct 2018Series BOrbiMed (lead); Vivo Capital (lead); Decheng Capital; Lilly Asia Ventures$80MTerns Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company with operations in San Mateo, California, and Shanghai, China, completed an $80 million Series B financing round in late October 2018, led by OrbiMed and Vivo Capital, with participation from Decheng Capital and existing investor Lilly Asia Ventures. The funding supports the advancement of its pipeline focused primarily on nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), including lead candidates TERN-101 (a farnesoid X receptor agonist) and TERN-201 (a semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase inhibitor), both slated to enter clinical trials in the first half of 2019. The company also acquired three NASH programs from Eli Lilly following its Series A round of $30 million in 2017, with one additional preclinical NASH asset targeting an undisclosed well-validated target. Terns aims to develop effective and safe combination therapies for NASH and liver fibrosis patients, leveraging expertise in disease biology, medicinal chemistry, and clinical development with global or region-specific strategies. The Series B proceeds will accelerate clinical and preclinical NASH programs, positioning Terns to compete with established players like Gilead, Allergan, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Intercept Pharmaceuticals (whose Ocaliva is in Phase 3 for NASH). Investors highlighted Terns' rapid progress since launch and unique approach to therapeutics development. The company also maintains a pipeline for oncology indications including liver cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and chronic myeloid leukemia, though NASH remains the primary focus at the time of the financing.
Apr 2018Series ALilly Asia Ventures (lead)$30MTerns Pharmaceuticals is a small-molecule drug developer focused on treatments for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), hepatocellular carcinoma, and other cancers. The company was founded by Gilead veterans and launched in April 2017 with a $30 million Series A round led by Lilly Asia Ventures, a corporate venturing subsidiary of Eli Lilly. As part of the founding deal, Terns licensed three small-molecule drug candidates from Eli Lilly, including its lead programs TERN-101 and TERN-201, both targeting NASH. The company employed a unique geographic strategy, positioning its drug discovery engine in the San Francisco Bay Area while locating its clinical development team in China to pursue early regulatory approval and market entry in China before expanding to global markets. In October 2018, Terns completed an $80 million Series B round co-led by Vivo Capital and OrbiMed, with participation from Lilly Asia Ventures and Decheng Capital. The Series B funding was intended to advance clinical development of TERN-101 and TERN-201, which were scheduled to enter clinical trials in the first half of 2019, along with additional preclinical NASH programs. The company's approach focused on designing best-in-class small molecules against validated NASH targets, leveraging its team's expertise in drug discovery and clinical development for liver disease in Asian markets. As a clinical-stage biotechnology company at the time of funding, Terns had no commercial revenue.

Who has invested in Terns Pharmaceuticals?

8 investors have backed Terns Pharmaceuticals across its funding rounds, including Lilly Asia Ventures, OrbiMed, Vivo Capital, Deerfield, Eli Lilly and Decheng Capital.

Lead investors include Deerfield, OrbiMed, Vivo Capital and Lilly Asia Ventures.


Terns Pharmaceuticals Investors

Investors in Terns Pharmaceuticals by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Lilly Asia VenturesChinaShanghai3LeadApr 2018
Vivo CapitalUnited StatesPalo Alto2LeadOct 2018
OrbiMedUnited StatesNew York City, NY2LeadOct 2018
Decheng CapitalUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantOct 2018
Suvretta Capital ManagementUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJan 2021
Eli LillyUnited StatesIndianapolis, IN1ParticipantJan 2021

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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples

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Terns Pharmaceuticals Competitors

Terns Pharmaceuticals competitors include listed companies like Alkem Laboratories, CG Oncology, Oruka Therapeutics and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, and private ones like Biocon Biologics and Intas Pharmaceuticals.

Public and private companies comparable to Terns Pharmaceuticals
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Alkem LaboratoriesIndiaIndiaPublicly listed$1.5B$316M$6.7B3.9x
CG OncologyUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$4M($189M)$6.8B1113.8x
Oruka TherapeuticsUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed-($122M)$6.8B-
Ionis PharmaceuticalsUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$944M($273M)$6.6B6.6x
Biocon BiologicsIndiaBangalorePrivate$1.1B$163M$5.5B5.1x
Intas PharmaceuticalsIndiaAhmedabadPrivate$2B-$8.5B-

Terns Pharmaceuticals Public Comps

Terns Pharmaceuticals is no longer listed, but its public comps include Alkem Laboratories, CG Oncology, Oruka Therapeutics, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, China Resources Sanjiu, RemeGen, Axsome Therapeutics, Samsung Bioepis, Ono Pharmaceutical and Gan and Lee.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Alkem Laboratories$1.5B$316M4.3x3.9x20.8x19.1x
CG Oncology$4M($189M)1438.6x1113.8x(30.7x)(20.2x)
Oruka Therapeutics-($122M)--(48.7x)(32.3x)
Ionis Pharmaceuticals$944M($273M)6.5x6.6x(22.4x)(11.3x)
China Resources Sanjiu$4.7B$936M1.8x1.8x9.0x9.0x
RemeGen$486M$164M12.6x5.9x37.3x9.9x
Axsome Therapeutics$638M($168M)10.8x7.6x(40.9x)(55.0x)
Samsung Bioepis$186M$15M35.7x5.1x443.9x15.9x

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Common questions about Terns Pharmaceuticals

When was Terns Pharmaceuticals founded?Terns Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2016.
Where is Terns Pharmaceuticals headquartered?Terns Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States.
Is Terns Pharmaceuticals publicly listed?No, Terns Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Merck in March 2026.
Who acquired Terns Pharmaceuticals?Terns Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Merck in March 2026.
How much was Terns Pharmaceuticals acquired for?Terns Pharmaceuticals was acquired for $6.7B in March 2026.
How much funding has Terns Pharmaceuticals raised?Terns Pharmaceuticals has raised $197M across 3 funding rounds.
What was Terns Pharmaceuticals' last funding round?Terns Pharmaceuticals' last funding round was a $87M Series C in January 2021, led by Deerfield.
Who are Terns Pharmaceuticals' investors?Terns Pharmaceuticals' investors include Lilly Asia Ventures, Vivo Capital, OrbiMed, Decheng Capital, Suvretta Capital Management, Eli Lilly, Samara Capital and Deerfield.
Which companies are comparable to Terns Pharmaceuticals?Companies comparable to Terns Pharmaceuticals include Alkem Laboratories, CG Oncology, Oruka Therapeutics, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Biocon Biologics and Intas Pharmaceuticals.
What was Terns Pharmaceuticals' market cap before the acquisition?Terns Pharmaceuticals had a market cap of $6.1B in April 2026, its last month on record as a listed company.

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