Biogen To Take Over Nightstar Therapeutics In $877M Deal
Nightstar Therapeutics to be bought by Biogen for its pipeline of gene therapies worth $877 million. This huge takeover will provide Biogen management of clinical-phase ophthalmology resources that could get to market ahead of drugs in development in rival gene therapy shops.
After spinning out from Oxford University in 2013, Two gene therapies have advanced targeting retinal indications throughout the clinic using VC and IPO monies. In the coming months’ phase 3 trial of the lead candidate, NSR-REP1 is set to finish enrolling choroideremia patients, teeing Nightstar up to discover if it can handle the currently-untreatable type of progressive vision loss.
The data that was combined raised concerns about why Nightstar saw an inverse dose-response but still left it with a shot at getting the XLRP therapy at AGTC and MeiraGTx. Nightstar is positioned still in the race for the choroideremia marketplace. Spark Therapeutics is the most advanced rival but its drug remains in phase 1/2.
With an advantage and the experience, Spark can bring an eye disease gene therapy to market and will have the resources of Roche behind it once the Swiss pharma’s $4.3 billion takeover closes.
The acquisitions of Spark and Nightstar will turn the choroideremia race into a scrap between Roche and Biogen while furthering the reshaping the gene therapy sector.
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