Sobi acquire Novimmune in deal worth more than £400 million
pharmafile | June 13, 2019 | News story | Business Services, Research and Development | R&D, emapalumab, immuno-oncology, immunology, pharma
Swedish rare disease specialist Sobi has agreed to buy Swiss firm Novimmune ion a deal worth more than £400 million.
The deal will see Sobi gain access to world class R&D facilities in the area of immunology. The deal worth 515 million Swiss francs will see Novimmune hand over IP relating to the antibody Emapalumab alongside the experimental immune-oncology drugs NI-1701 and NI-1801.
“The acquisition of emapalumab and related assets is an important step in the transformation of Sobi in becoming a global leader in rare diseases,” says Guido Oelkers, Sobi President and CEO.
“This will allow us to realise the full potential of emapalumab as an important treatment in the area of Immunology and address a significant unmet medical need.”
“Immunology is one of our key focus areas where we can make a significant difference to patients’ lives. We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues to join us in this mission and create an even stronger Sobi,” he added.
Ed Holdener, Chairman of Novimmune, commented: “I have spent 11 years with Novimmune and I am extremely positive about the future of what we have built. The selected teams will become a part of Sobi, a leading rare disease company. “
“Based on our collaboration over the past 12 months I can see a nice and growing cultural fit between the two organisations. I am proud that the commercialisation of emapalumab, marketed as Gamifant in the US, is making excellent progress. It pays tribute to the hard work of our teams who have developed this drug.”
Martin Ebner, the representative of Patinex and BZ Bank holding a majority interest in Novimmune, added: “I have been supporting Novimmune over the past 15 years. I am greatly pleased that I have helped bring an important medicine like emapalumab to patients with a high unmet medical need. I believe that Sobi will be a good owner of this business.”
Louis Goss
Related Content
Chronic spontaneous urticaria – the impact on patient quality of life, ongoing developments in treatments and the importance of greater awareness
The current forms of immunotherapy, how T cell therapy works and what the future holds
LGC Group opens $100M Organic Chemistry Synthesis Centre of Excellence
LGC Group, a life sciences company, has opened its new Organic Chemistry Synthesis Centre of …
A challenge we can no longer ignore: meeting the needs of people with Crohn’s Disease in the UK
By Holly Thomas, Associate Vice-President Specialty Care at Lilly UK and Ireland Immunology care in …
