9 June 2020
CSL Limited announced that it has agreed to exercise its right to acquire Vitaeris Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the phase III development of a treatment for rejection in solid organ kidney transplant patients.
The companies entered into a strategic partnership in 2017 to expedite the development of this program with the option for CSL to acquire Vitaeris in full.
CSL has now exercised this option and with this acquisition, Vitaeris research assets join CSL842 and CSL964 as part of CSL’s portfolio of products in late-stage development to address significant unmet needs in the transplant community.
Vitaeris’ lead phase III program is investigating the role that a monoclonal antibody called clazakizumab has in treating a naturally occurring inflammatory gene (interleukin6 or IL-6), which is the leading cause of long-term rejection in kidney transplant recipients.
“Clazakizumab has been a promising monoclonal antibody in the Transplant therapeutic area since we started working with Vitaeris several years ago,” said CSL Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Bill Mezzanotte. “Acquiring Vitaeris and their associate expertise helps us to continue to grow our strategic scientific platform of recombinant proteins and antibodies. We look forward to continuing to advance this treatment candidate as a potential option for people experiencing rejection, an area where current treatment options for transplant recipients are limited, at best.”
The cost of acquisition is modest and does not materially change the Company’s profit expectation for FY2020.
The terms of agreement include sales based milestones and the Company will incur additional R&D expenses associated with the completion of the phase III clinical trial. In FY2021, these additional expenses are estimated to be between $30 – 50 million.
Read the complete media release.
