GENE ONLINE|News &
Opinion
Blog

2019-12-31| M&A

Astellas Procures Xyphos Biosciences as Second Acquisition in December

by Sherry
Share To

By Rajaneesh K. Gopinath, Ph.D.

Astellas Pharma Inc., the second-largest pharmaceutical company in Japan, acquired the American gene therapy development company Audentes Therapeutics for $3 billion in early December 2019. At the end of December, it announced the acquisition of Xyphos Biosciences in South San Francisco to accelerate the next generation of cancer immunotherapy products. Xyphos will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Astellas with a total acquisition value of $665 million.

With this acquisition, Astellas will get Xyphos’ new ACCEL (Advanced Cellular Control through engineered Ligands) technology platform, which can guide the cells of the immune system to target single or multiple tumor antigens, while controlling the proliferation and persistence of immune cells. Xyphos’ proprietary molecules can be delivered to natural immune cells or to engineered Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) cells to generate immunotherapies for oncology. Xyphos’ first CAR-T cell candidate is currently undergoing preclinical development, with the first clinical trial planned for 2021.

Astellas’ two acquisitions at the end of 2019 merged two San Francisco biotech companies for a total of US $5.2 billion to strengthen its product development in cancer immunotherapy and gene therapy. The two acquisitions not only boosted the share price of US-related gene therapy and cancer immunotherapy companies but also increased the activity of mergers and acquisitions of biotech companies in San Francisco. It kicked off the upcoming J.P. Morgan 38th Annual Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.

 

References

  1. https://newsroom.astellas.us/2019-12-26-Astellas-Strengthens-Immuno-oncology-Pipeline-with-Acquisition-of-Xyphos-Biosciences-Inc

 

©www.geneonline.com All rights reserved. Collaborate with us: service@geneonlineasia.com
Related Post
FDA Approves Astellas’ Non-hormonal Menopause Treatment After Extended Review
2023-05-19
M&A
Astellas Trains Sights On Iveric Bio In $5.9 Billion Acquisition
2023-05-03
Pfizer, Astellas’ Prostate Cancer Drug Xtandi Achieves Goals In Phase 3
2023-03-19
LATEST
BIO 2023 Coming to Boston, with Over 60 Taiwanese Organizations to Share their Achievements
2023-06-02
2023 ASGCT Annual Meeting: Showcase of Exciting New Research, with a Focus on Clinical Applications
2023-06-02
Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine Gets FDA Approval for Use in Older Adults
2023-05-31
Brazil’s Evolving ESG Landscape from the Amazon to Atlantic Forest
2023-05-31
Should People Looking to Lose Weight Skip Sugar Substitutes?
2023-05-30
Advancing Next-Generation Cancer Metabolic Therapy by Targeting Critical Amino Acid Metabolic Pathways: An Interview with Brian A. Van Tine, MD, PhD
2023-05-26
Rona Therapeutics, Keymed Biosciences Team Up To Develop siRNA Drugs For Kidney Disease
2023-05-25
Scroll to Top