Incyte (NASDAQ:INCY), a Wilmington, DE-based biopharmaceutical company, acquired Villaris Therapeutics, a Cary, NC-based asset-centric biopharmaceutical company.
Under the terms of the agreement, which is subject to clearance by the U.S. antitrust authorities under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, Incyte will acquire Villaris and the exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize auremolimab for all uses, including in vitiligo and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Incyte will make an upfront payment of $70m, and Villaris shareholders will be eligible for up to $310m upon achievement of certain development and regulatory milestones, as well as up to an additional $1.05 billion in commercial milestones on net sales of the product.
With the acquisition, Incyte will further enhance treatment options for people with vitiligo in the Dermatology space through their launch of Opzelura (ruxolitinib) Cream.
Founded in 2019 by Medicxi and John Harris, M.D., Ph.D. Villaris Therapeutics is an asset-centric biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel antibody therapeutics for vitiligo. Its lead asset, auremolimab (VM6), an anti-IL-15Rβ monoclonal antibody (mAb), is expected to enter clinical development in 2023. Auremolimab (VM6) is a novel, ultra-humanized, anti-IL-15Rβ (CD122) antibody designed to target and deplete autoreactive resident memory T cells (TRM) that has demonstrated efficacy as a treatment for vitiligo in preclinical models.
Led by CEO Hervé Hoppenot, Incyte is a biopharmaceutical company focused on finding solutions for serious unmet medical needs through the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics.
FinSMEs
04/10/2022