AbbVie (ABBV, Financials) announced it will acquire biotechnology company Aliada Therapeutics in a $1.4 billion all-cash transaction.
By including Aliada's new blood-brain barrier-crossing technology and lead chemical ALIA-1758, the purchase will strengthen AbbVie's neuroscience portfolio—more especially, its emphasis on Alzheimer's disease.
Targeting pyroglutamate amyloid beta, Aliada's main antibody is investigational and helps to explain the production of amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Under Phase 1 clinical testing, the antibody seeks to be a possible Alzheimer's disease-modifying treatment. AbbVie's purchase will help this candidate to develop more quickly.
"This acquisition immediately positions us to advance ALIA-1758, a potentially best-in-class disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer's disease. In addition, Aliada's novel BBB-crossing technology strengthens our R&D capabilities to accelerate the development of next-generation therapies for neurological disorders and other diseases where enhanced delivery of therapeutics into the CNS is beneficial," said Roopal Thakkar, Executive Vice President, Research and Development, and Chief Scientific Officer at AbbVie.
Designed to improve the delivery of several therapeutic compounds, including antibodies and gene treatments, into the brain, Aliada's patented blood-brain barrier-crossing Modular Delivery technology targets highly expressed brain endothelial cells, receptors such as transferrin and CD98 helps the platform transport therapeutic cargos into the central nervous system.
The terms of the agreement specify that AbbVie will purchase all existing shares in Aliada for $1.4 billion. Assuming regulatory clearance, the transaction is projected to conclude in the fourth quarter of 2024.
