Bristol Myers Squibb to Acquire Orbital Therapeutics for $1.5 Billion to Advance In Vivo CAR-T Therapy OTX-201

Oct 10, 2025 20:02 CST Updated 20:02

Orbital

RNA Drug Developer

Bristol-Myers Squibb

Biopharmaceutical and Nutritional Product R&D and Sales

On October 10, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Orbital Therapeutics jointly announced that they had reached a definitive agreement, under which BMS willAcquire this private biotechnology company for $1.5 billion in cash.

The core assets acquired areOrbital's Primary RNA Immunotherapy Preclinical Candidate OTX-201, which is currently in the preparation stage for a new drug clinical application.

OTX-201 represents a completely new treatment model — in vivo CAR T-cell therapy.This therapy includes optimized circular RNA, encoding CAR targeting CD19, delivered via targeted lipid nanoparticles to directly reprogram immune cells within the patient’s body.。

Compared with traditional ex vivo CAR T-cell therapy, this innovative approach uses the patient's own body as a "manufacturing factory" for CAR T cells, which is expected to significantly reduce the treatment burden and improve treatment accessibility.

Robert Plenge, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Research Officer of BMS, said, "In vivo CAR T represents a completely new treatment approach that may redefine how we treat autoimmune diseases."

Except for OTX-201,BMS will also gain access to Orbital's proprietary RNA technology platform, the platform integrates multiple cutting-edge technologies:

Circular and linear RNA engineering, advanced LNP delivery technology, and AI-driven design.

This integrated platform can develop durable, programmable RNA therapies tailored to the unique biological characteristics of various diseases, offering more possibilities for BMS's future drug development.

This acquisition further solidifies BMS's leading position in the cell therapy field. Dr. Plenge emphasized:

"This acquisition enhances our robust cell therapy research platform and provides an opportunity to advance a potential best-in-class therapy designed to eliminate autoreactive B cells and reset the immune system."

In-body CAR T technology is particularly suitable for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, offering new hope for patients awaiting better treatment options.

According to the terms of the agreement, BMS will pay $1.5 billion in cash to acquire Orbital at the closing of the transaction. This acquisition will significantly strengthen and diversify BMS's product portfolio in the cell therapy field.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including relevant antitrust reviews. Prior to the completion of the transaction, both companies will continue to operate as independent entities.

This acquisition marks a further deepening of BMS's strategic layout in the fields of cell therapy and innovative drug technology platforms, with the potential to bring transformative treatment options to more patients.

Orbital Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on pioneering a new generation of RNA medicines that treat various diseases by reprogramming the immune system in vivo.

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