GSK to Acquire Affinivax for Up to $3.3 Billion to Strengthen Vaccine Pipeline

On May 31, GSK announced that it had agreed to acquire clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Affinivax for up to $3.3 billion to strengthen its vaccine pipeline. The deal includes an upfront payment of $2.1 billion and up to $1.2 billion for potential development milestones, with the transaction expected to close in the third quarter of 2022. This marks the second-largest acquisition in the pharmaceutical sector this year, following Pfizer's $11.6 billion purchase of Biohaven.

Affinivax, Inc. is a clinical-stage U.S. biotechnology company with a novel MAPS technology platform for vaccines and immunotherapies. After completing a $120 million Series B financing in 2020, the company is advancing its MAPS pneumococcal vaccine program and pushing forward clinical studies on several other vaccine candidates targeting hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).