GSK to spend up to £1.1bn in deal for access to unique asthma treatment
GSK, formerly known as Glaxosmithkline, has agreed to acquire biopharmaceutical company Aiolos Bio in a deal worth up to £1.1bn as it hails access to the latter company’s twice-yearly asthma treatment.
The deal, subject to regulatory approval, includes a $1bn (£785m) upfront payment and up to $400m (£314m) in “success-based regulatory milestone payments,” GSK said on Tuesday morning.
Aolos, founded just last year, is a UK-based clinical-stage firm focused on addressing the unmet treatment needs of patients with certain respiratory and inflammatory conditions.
The takeover means GSK will have access to Aiolos’ AIO-001, a monoclonal antibody that binds and blocks TSLP – which drives inflammation, including in asthma. Early studies of AIO-001 have shown initial safety and efficacy.
AIO-001 has the potential to be administered every six months due to its enhanced potency and half-life extension technology.
The antibody was exclusively licensed to Aiolos outside of China by Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, which initially developed AIO-001. GSK will also be responsible for tiered royalties owed to the Chinese pharmaceutical firm.
Sebastian Skeet, an analyst at Third Bridge, noted that Hengrui could be entitled to more than $1bn if the drug is approved in the US and other countries.
“Thus, GSK likely remain on the hunt for further acquisitions to bolster the piepline,” he added.
Tony Wood, chief scientific officer at GSK, said: “We have a proud heritage and deep development expertise in respiratory medicines, especially addressing diseases driven by IL-5 with high levels of eosinophils or high T2 inflammation.
“Adding AIO-001, a potentially best-in-class medicine targeting the TSLP pathway, could expand the reach of our current respiratory biologics portfolio, including to the 40% of severe asthma patients with low T2 inflammation where treatment options are still needed.”
GSK added: “With AIO-001, GSK’s respiratory portfolio could provide the option of a biologic to a broader portion of the 315 million patients living with asthma regardless of biomarker status and including those with low T2 inflammation.”
Khurem Farooq, chief executive of Aiolos, said: “We believe that this transaction speaks to the high potential of our long-acting anti-TSLP monoclonal antibody, AIO-001.
“By uniting with GSK, a leader with decades of experience developing respiratory therapies and a shared commitment to improving patient lives, we’re confident that we can rapidly advance this therapy in the hopes of significantly reducing the treatment burden for patients.”
GSK’s latest quarterly results showed a four per cent rise in turnover, although the figure was 10 per cent when discounting a drop-off in sales related to coronavirus treatments, which surged during the pandemic.
The firm’s shares have risen nine per cent in the last 12 months.
Updated with analyst commentary