Novo Nordisk Acquires Hemophilia A Gene-Editing Therapy and Platform from 2seventy bio for $40 Million Upfront

Jun 27, 2024 07:01 CST Updated 07:01

2seventy bio

Developer of New Drugs for Cancer Treatment

Novo Nordisk

Insulin Developer and Manufacturer

On June 26, 2seventy bio announced the completion of an asset purchase agreement with Novo Nordisk.APA). According to the terms of the APA, Novo Nordisk has acquired the Hemophilia A project and2seventy bioRights to in vivo gene editing technology, which excludes oncology and gene editing for autologous or allogeneic cell therapies using immune cells to treat autoimmune diseases. Currently participating in the project are2seventy bioThe team will join Novo Nordisk to continue advancing the technology.

This project is based on the original research protocol established in 2019, which focuses on gene editing therapy for patients with hemophilia A.2seventy bioWill collaborate with Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) to specifically focus on the commercialization and ongoing development of Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel), its BCMA CAR-T cell therapy for multiple myeloma.

2seventy bio CEO Chip Baird stated:"We are pleased to announce the completion of this APA with Novo Nordisk, as we believe it will provide the appropriate resources for the team and science behind this important project. Over the past five years, Novo Nordisk has been a valuable partner, and we are confident that under their leadership, the commitment to developing new treatments for patients with Hemophilia A will continue to progress. We are extremely grateful to the 2seventy team members who are joining Novo Nordisk and for the incredible work they have done. Additionally, the divestiture supports 2seventy bio’s focus on making Abecma available to as many patients as possible."

Karina Thorn, Vice President of Novo Nordisk's Global Nucleic Acid Therapy Research, stated:"I am very pleased that we are expanding Novo Nordisk's genome editing technology platform. We are committed to developing therapies with therapeutic potential, including advancing the next generation of in vivo genome editing programs, aiming to provide a lifelong factor replacement-free treatment for patients with hemophilia. We have been working with2seventy bio"I am delighted to welcome our collaborators to Novo Nordisk, where we will jointly leverage megaTAL technology for groundbreaking therapeutic applications."

According to the terms of the agreement,2seventy bioMay receive payments of up to $40 million. 2seventy will transfer the Hemophilia A program to Novo Nordisk, and the existing collaboration agreement will be terminated. Additionally, the divestiture will include the transfer of 2seventy bio's megaTAL technology and underlying intellectual property license.

This is2seventy bioThe Second Spin-off Business This Year. As early as January, the company spun off its preclinical and clinical cell therapy programs to Regeneron, forming a new division. This move involved transferring 160 employees to Regeneron, including former Chief Scientific Officer Philip Gregory and former Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Bernstein.

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