AbbVie Inc., which recently completed its acquisition of ImmunoGen Inc., has agreed to acquire Landos Biopharma Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel, oral therapeutics for patients with autoimmune diseases.
 
Landos’ lead investigational asset is NX-13, a first-in-class, oral NLRX1 agonist (a member of the NOD-like receptor family) with a bimodal mechanism of action (MOA), which is anti-inflammatory and facilitates epithelial repair.
 
“With this acquisition, we aim to advance the clinical development of NX-13, a differentiated, first-in-class, oral asset with the potential to make a difference in the lives of people living with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease,” said Roopal Thakkar, M.D., senior vice president, chief medical officer, global therapeutics, AbbVie.
 
“This announcement is a testament to Landos’ talented team and their commitment to our mission of creating oral treatments that can address a therapeutic gap,” said Gregory Oakes, president and chief executive officer, Landos. “NX-13 and its bimodal MOA have the potential to provide a novel approach to the treatment of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. With AbbVie’s therapeutic area leadership and expertise in global development, they are the right company to further advance NX-13.”
 
NLRX1 regulates immunometabolism and inflammation, and its activation impacts multiple mechanisms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis. The randomized controlled Phase 2 NEXUS clinical trial evaluating NX-13 in UC is currently enrolling patients in the United States and Europe (NCT05785715).
 
Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will acquire Landos at a price of $20.42 per share in cash upon closing, or approximately $137.5 million in the aggregate, plus one non-tradable contingent value right per share with a value of up to $11.14 per share, or approximately an additional $75 million in the aggregate, subject to the achievement of a clinical development milestone. The proposed transaction is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2024.

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