FRANKFURT, March 20 (Reuters) - Novartis said

on Friday it agreed to acquire breast cancer drug candidate

SNV4818 from Synnovation Therapeutics for $2 billion upfront and

up to $1 billion contingent on further development achievements.

The experimental drug belongs to the class of selective

PI3Kα inhibitors, a new approach for the treatment of a type of

breast cancer known as HR positive/HER2 negative and potentially

other solid tumours.