Nestle backs allergy biotech Aimmune to the tune of $145 million
pharmafile | November 7, 2016 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Aimmune, allergy therapeutics, nestle
Nestle Health Science has invested $145 million in return for a 15% stake in Aimmune Therapeutics. Aimmune pursues food-allergy therapies and the move from Nestle’s subsidiary unit represents a further expansion into bioscience companies, after previous investments this year.
Aimmune works in developing treatments by exposing those vulnerable to allergic reactions small doses of the food allergens, with the theory that this will desensitise the patient to the allergen. Aimmune is currently working on a candidate for peanut allergies, AR101, which is undergoing Phase III trials. The investment from Nestle will see Aimmune be able to bring further drug candidates to trial and also expand current trials.
The deal linking the two companies will see them form a two-year partnership. The deal sees Nestle Health Science’s CEO, Greg Behar, join Aimmune’s board of directors. Nestle does not gain any rights to Aimmune’s products but will get exclusive rights of first negotiation on any licensing opportunities over the course of the deal.
“Nestlé Health Science is an ideal partner that brings a shared vision, global scale and complementary capabilities to this collaboration, making the whole more than the sum of the parts,” continued Dr. Dilly. “We are excited to have Nestlé Health Science alongside as we pursue our development plans and seek to realize the full promise of our CODIT approach by addressing the important questions in food allergy around optimizing treatments, achieving sustained unresponsiveness, and exploring the science around tolerance.”
Greg Behar, CEO of Nestlé Health Science, stated: “Food allergies have a huge personal impact and are a health economic burden. Nestlé Health Science is investing and innovating to change the approach to food allergy management, with integrated approaches from diagnostics (Dx) to nutrition solutions (Nx) and now biologics (Rx), where Aimmune’s proprietary approach has transformational potential in the lives of patients and families.”
Ben Hargreaves
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