Slate Medicines to merge with Fulcrum Therapeutics after Fulcrum drops sickle-cell drug

Slate Medicines announced it will combine with Fulcrum Therapeutics in a reverse merger, giving the struggling biotech a new corporate home.

Fulcrum had been developing pociredir, a therapy designed to raise fetal hemoglobin by inhibiting the PRC2 complex, with the goal of reducing vaso‑occlusive crises in sickle cell disease.

The FDA placed a six‑month hold on the trial over concerns that PRC2 inhibition could increase the risk of hematological cancers. After the market withdrawal of a similar drug, Tazverik, Fulcrum discontinued pociredir development in June.

The merger allows Slate to expand its pipeline while the future of the sickle‑cell program remains uncertain.