TREM1

AbbVie has announced its $250m acquisition of inflammatory disease-focused Celsius Therapeutics. The deal gives AbbVie access to the biotech’s lead investigational asset, an anti-TREM1 antibody to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). TREM1 has been identified as a key disease of inflammation and pathology in IBD and other conditions. The candidate, CEL383, has completed an early-stage clinical study and has been shown in preclinical assays to inhibit TREM1 signalling, reducing the levels of multiple inflammatory mediators “of high clinical relevance” in inflammatory conditions, AbbVie said. Kori Wallace, vice president, global head of immunology clinical development, AbbVie, said the company is “eager to advance the development of CEL383 with a goal of helping more patients with IBD achieve remission”. Tariq Kassum, Celsius’ chief executive officer, added: “AbbVie shares our excitement about the potential of TREM1 inhibition for patients with inflammatory disease… We look forward to the further development of this promising programme, which we hope will offer a new approach to the treatment of IBD.” An estimated 3.1 million adults in the US are affected by IBD, a term for conditions characterised by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The exact cause of IBD is unknown and symptoms include persistent diarrhoea, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, weight loss and fatigue. The Celsius acquisition is not AbbVie’s first IBD-centred deal of the month, after it announced a licence agreement worth $1.7bn with FutureGen Biopharmaceutical to develop pre-clinical therapy FG-M701. Jonathon Sedgwick, senior vice president and global head of discovery research at AbbVie, said at the time of the announcement: “The prevalence of IBD continues to increase and many people living with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease do not respond to current therapies… We look forward to our collaboration with FutureGen in advancing [the] development of FG-M701 for the treatment of IBD.” AbbVie and Parvus Therapeutics also recently entered into an exclusive global licence collaboration and option agreement to develop and commercialise novel therapies for IBD, just days before the company announced that it would be expanding its inflammatory and autoimmune disease portfolio by acquiring Landos Biopharma for up to $212.5m.

The strategic move expands AbbVie’s footprint in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Credit: Kmpzzz / Shutterstock. AbbVie has acquired biotechnology company Celsius Therapeutics in a deal valued at $250m in cash. Celsius focuses on developing new treatments for inflammatory diseases. The strategic move expands AbbVie’s footprint in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, adding a potentially transformative therapy to its pipeline. The acquisition terms stipulate that AbbVie will gain all outstanding equity of Celsius, subject to customary adjustments. AbbVie has gained access to Celsius’ investigational antibody CEL383, designed to combat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). CEL383 is an anti-triggering receptor expressed on the myeloid cells 1 (TREM1) antibody. See Also: CHMP recommends authorisation for Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine Verona scores FDA approval for Ohtuvayre as COPD maintenance therapy TREM1 has been recognised as a significant gene driving IBD. It is found on inflammatory monocytes and neutrophils, where it amplifies inflammation by acting upstream of multiple inflammatory pathways. CEL383 has shown promise in preclinical research, where it effectively inhibited TREM1 signalling. This inhibition led to reduced levels of critical inflammatory mediators. The antibody has completed a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, single ascending dose Phase I study that assessed its tolerability, safety and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers. AbbVie immunology clinical development global head and vice-president Kori Wallace stated: “Given the potential relevance of TREM1 as a key driver of inflammation and pathology in IBD and other conditions, we are eager to advance the development of CEL383 with a goal of helping more patients with IBD achieve remission.” Covington & Burling served as AbbVie’s legal advisor while Celsius was advised financially by Centerview Partners, with Goodwin Procter serving as its legal advisor. Celsius CEO Tariq Kassum stated: “AbbVie shares our excitement about the potential of TREM1 inhibition for patients with inflammatory disease. “I’d like to thank the Celsius team for their relentless efforts in the discovery of CEL383. We look forward to the further development of this promising programme, which we hope will offer a new approach to the treatment of IBD.” The latest development comes after AbbVie received accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for EPKINLY to treat relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (R/R FL).

Pictured: AbbVie's headquarters in California/iStock, Michael Vi AbbVie on Thursday announced that it has bought Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup Celsius Therapeutics and its lead inflammatory bowel disease antibody CEL383. Details of the acquisition agreement were sparse, with the companies only revealing that AbbVie will snap up all of Celsius’ remaining equity for $250 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments. The companies have not yet announced when they plan to close the transaction. “We are eager the advance the development of CEL383 with a goal of helping more patients with [inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)] achieve remission,” Kori Wallace, global head of immunology clinical development at AbbVie, said in a statement. Developed using Celsius’ proprietary SCOPE platform, which allows the startup to “understand the cells that drive disease progression,” CEL383 is a potentially first-in-class monoclonal antibody that works by targeting the TREM1 protein. TREM1 mediates the interaction between the microbiome and the immune system while amplifying mucosal inflammation, according to the biotech’s website. Preclinical studies have validated this mechanism of action, showing that CEL383 could disrupt TREM1 signaling and lowering the concentration of several inflammatory mediators. CEL383 has recently completed a first-in-human, placebo-controlled, single-ascending-dose Phase I trial in healthy volunteers, designed to evaluate its safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetic profile. Thursday’s acquisition of Celsius is part of AbbVie’s strategy to deepen its portfolio as it weathers a particularly steep patent cliff for its blockbuster immuno therapy Humira (adalimumab). Since losing its most important patent protections, Humira has mostly retained market dominance despite the flurry of biosimilars that flooded the U.S. market. However, in April 2024, fueled by CVS Caremark delisting Humira from its major national commercial formularies, copycats have enjoyed a surge in demand and sales. To shore up its revenues and target future growth, AbbVie has been striking a series of deals giving it access to promising assets and technologies. In February 2024, the pharma put $713 million on the line for an exclusive right to develop, manufacture and commercialize OSE Immunotherapeutics’ investigational antibody OSE-230, being assessed for chronic and severe inflammation. Soon after, AbbVie dropped $212 million to acquire Landos Biopharma gaining access to the oral NLRX1 agonist NX-13, which is being studied as a treatment for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. AbbVie has joined a recent biopharma spending spree in the projected $257 billion immunology market. Outside the immuno space, AbbVie has also invested heavily in the mental health market entering a potential $2 billion deal with Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals in May 2024 to develop neuroplastogens for psychiatric disorders. Tristan Manalac is an independent science writer based in Metro Manila, Philippines. Reach out to him on LinkedIn or email him at tristan@tristanmanalac.com or tristan.manalac@biospace.com.