AbbVie continues to bolster its immunology portfolio beyond Humira, announcing on Thursday its acquisition of early-stage biotech Celsius Therapeutics for $250 million in cash. This move aims to strengthen AbbVie’s longer-term prospects in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).<\/p>\n
The Chicago-area pharma giant, set for a CEO transition on Monday, is acquiring Cambridge, MA-based Celsius Therapeutics and its lead asset, CEL383. This potential first-in-class anti-TREM1 antibody for IBD treatment has already completed a Phase 1 clinical study in healthy volunteers.<\/p>\n
Celsius, founded in 2018, has maintained a relatively low profile over the years. The startup was launched with $65 million from investors including Third Rock Ventures, Google’s GV, and Casdin Capital, later securing an additional $83 million Series B in 2022. Among its co-founders are computational biologist Aviv Regev, now leading research and early development at Genentech, and Christoph Lengauer. Prior to the acquisition, Celsius was valued at $120 million, according to venture data firm PitchBook.<\/p>\n
AbbVie is betting on CEL383 as a potential first-in-class anti-TREM1 antibody for IBD, noting that the TREM1 gene “acts as an amplifier of inflammation.” This acquisition follows AbbVie’s earlier purchase of Landos Biopharma and its Phase 2 IBD drug NX-13 for $137.5 million upfront, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to expanding its IBD pipeline.<\/p>\n
AbbVie’s business development strategy in the immunology space has largely focused on partnerships and licensing deals this year. Notable agreements include a $150 million upfront payment for FutureGen Biopharma’s TL1A antibody FG-M701, $48 million upfront for OSE Immunotherapeutics’ monoclonal antibody OSE-230, and $64 million upfront for work on oncology and immunology biologics from Tentarix Biotherapeutics.<\/p>\n
The Celsius acquisition represents a shift towards outright purchases of promising early-stage companies with novel mechanisms of action. As AbbVie continues to navigate the post-Humira landscape, the addition of Celsius and its anti-TREM1 antibody program demonstrates the company’s commitment to maintaining its leadership in immunology and IBD treatment.<\/p>\n