BY Richard Summerfield
Gilead Sciences has agreed to acquire biotech firm Ouro Medicines in a deal worth up to $2.18bn. The deal will see Gilead bolster its cell therapy pipeline by acquiring a company focused on developing T cell engager therapies for autoimmune diseases.
Under the terms of the deal, Gilead will acquire all of the outstanding equity of Ouro Medicines, just less than $1.7bn in cash when the deal closes, and a further $500m once certain clinical trial milestones are hit. Closing of the transaction is subject to expiration or termination of certain regulatory filings and other customary conditions.
The deal is Gilead’s second biotech acquisition in around a month following its $7.8bn takeover of Arcellx. It also represents Gilead’s latest push to diversify away from its mainstay of HIV and cancer medicines by adding a novel treatment with huge potential to treat autoimmune diseases.
“This acquisition underscores our commitment to advancing transformative therapies for people living with serious autoimmune diseases,” said Dietmar Berger, chief medical officer of Gilead. “BCMA is a validated target with emerging data demonstrating potentially transformative outcomes in autoimmune diseases. BCMA targeted T cell engagers represent a differentiated approach with the potential to induce durable disease control. This novel framework complements our expanding inflammation pipeline and reflects our strategy to invest in innovative science that may redefine standards of care.”
Ouro, which was launched last January by GSK and Monograph Capital with $120m in funding, is developing gamgertamig (OM336), a BCMA/CD3-targeting bispecific T cell engager, for ex-China markets. It licensed the asset from Keymed Biosciences for $16m upfront. The US Food and Drug Administration has granted OM336 both ‘fast track’ and ‘orphan drug designation’ for these indications. Registrational studies are expected to begin in 2027.
“From the outset, we saw the potential for gamgertamig to redefine the standard of care for immune-mediated diseases,” said Jaideep Dudani, co-founder and chief executive of Ouro Medicines. “Since then, we’ve taken meaningful steps to advance that vision, with multiple trials now underway. With support from Gilead and Galapagos, we can build on the strong early foundation – leveraging a proven track record in late stage development, launch, and commercialization to accelerate our programs and help deliver on the promise gamgertamig holds for patients with immune-mediated diseases, following our initial collaboration with Keymed Biosciences.”
As part of the deal, Gilead is in discussions with biotech company Galapagos for a potential research and development collaboration on the Ouro portfolio. Under the potential arrangement, Galapagos would cover development costs until registrational studies, retain Ouro’s employees and co-develop OM336 with Gilead. Gilead would maintain worldwide commercialisation rights, excluding Greater China, where Keymed Biosciences holds rights, and would pay Galapagos royalties on net sales.
The deal is the latest notable transaction in the biotech dealmaking space, which has seen significant activity in recent months. The wider pharmaceutical industry is contending with hundreds of billions of dollars of medicines coming off patents over the next few years, which has helped drive activity.
Gilead has been particularly active in the dealmaking space. Since Daniel O’Day, the company’s current chief executive, took control, Gilead has largely focused its dealmaking strategy on acquisitions that boost its oncology portfolio, including its $21bn purchase of Immunomedics in 2020 and $4.3bn takeover of CymaBay Therapeutics in 2024.
News: Gilead to buy biotech firm Ouro Medicines in over $2 billion deal