Johnson & Johnson to Acquire Yellow Jersey Therapeutics for $1.25 Billion to Gain First-in-Class Bispecific Antibody NM26 for Atopic Dermatitis

On May 28, Johnson & Johnson announced withNumab TherapeuticsJohnson & Johnson Reaches Final Agreement to Acquire Yellow Jersey Therapeutics, a Subsidiary of Numab, for Approximately $1.25 Billion in Cash to Obtain Global Rights to NM26, a First-in-Class Bispecific Antibody for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common inflammatory skin disease, with different disease-driving mechanisms in different patient subgroups, and is highly heterogeneous.Among them, IL-4Rα triggers Th2-mediated skin inflammation, and IL-31 affects skin itching and subsequent scratching.Current treatments cannot provide lasting, symptom-free relief, and approximately 70% of patients fail to achieve remission for the most common inflammatory skin conditions.

NM26About to enter Phase II research for the treatment of AD, targeting IL-4Rα and IL-31. Compared with existing treatments, NM26 can provide unique benefits and address key unmet needs in AD patients.

NumabWith its unique λ-Cap™ and MATCH™ patented technologies, the company is building a highly differentiated pipeline of multispecific drug discovery and development programs. The company’s pipeline mainly focuses on the fields of inflammation and oncology.

Numab Pipeline (Source: Numab Official Website)