Lundbeck Acquires Abide Therapeutics for $250 Million to Expand CNS Drug Pipeline

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that Danish pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck A/S recently acquired U.S.-based Abide Therapeutics for an upfront cash payment of $250 million, thereby gaining access to Abide’s research center in the United States. Lundbeck has committed to paying up to an additional $150 million to Abide Therapeutics, the technology owner, contingent upon future development and sales milestones.

It is reported that Lundbeck has completed six acquisitions since its establishment, with the two largest being: the acquisition of Chelsea Therapeutics International for $658 million in 2014, and the acquisition of Prexton Therapeutics for €905 million in 2018.

Abide Therapeutics, founded in 2011, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with approximately 40 employees. The company is dedicated to developing therapies for conditions with significant unmet medical needs. Its innovative platform and proprietary small-molecule library enable Abide to target biological pathways with potential therapeutics that enhance the body’s normal physiological responses to disease. This platform allows Abide to efficiently identify, develop, and validate small-molecule inhibitors targeting serine hydrolases, a highly relevant but underexplored class of enzymes. Abide’s lead program focuses on treating neurological disorders with limited therapeutic options by inhibiting the serine hydrolase monoacylglycerol lipase (MGLL).

Abide’s lead product, ABX-1431, is an investigational oral therapeutic designed to inhibit monoacylglycerol lipase (MGLL), an enzyme that regulates key systems. By inhibiting MGLL, ABX-1431 can enhance the suppression of overactive neural circuits. ABX-1431 is currently undergoing clinical development in Phase IIa exploratory trials for Tourette syndrome and Phase I trials for neuropathic pain.

Dr. Deborah Dunsire, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lundbeck, commented, “The acquisition of Abide provides us with a differentiated chemoproteomics platform for the discovery of first-in-class medicines for a broad range of brain disorders. Abide’s innovative R&D platform offers a unique opportunity to strengthen our research and development pipeline, enabling Lundbeck to deliver multiple new and transformative treatments for brain disorders.”

“Developing best-in-class CNS mechanisms requires deep expertise across all areas of drug discovery and development. Lundbeck’s research into brain health gives us confidence that this is the optimal path for Abide to develop novel therapies that can fundamentally impact the lives of patients suffering from various neurological and mood disorders,” said Alan Ezekowitz, CEO of Abide.

Lundbeck, established in 2000, is a global pharmaceutical company specializing in the fields of psychiatry and neurology, with over 70 years of specialized research experience in neuroscience. The company focuses on therapeutic areas including depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Lundbeck employs approximately 5,300 people worldwide, with 1,700 based in Denmark. Its workforce spans 55 countries, and its products are registered in more than 100 countries. The company operates manufacturing facilities in China, Denmark, France, and Italy, and maintains R&D centers in Denmark and China.

(Compiled by Song Chenchen)