GSK plc has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Aiolos Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on addressing the unmet treatment needs of patients with respiratory and inflammatory conditions.
As previously announced,[1] the acquisition of Aiolos includes AIO-001, a potentially best-in-class, long-acting anti-thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) monoclonal antibody ready to enter phase II clinical development for the treatment of adult patients with asthma. AIO-001 could expand GSK’s respiratory biologics portfolio to potentially reach the 40% of severe asthma patients with low T2 inflammation (a type of overactive immune response associated with asthma).[2] AIO-001 has the potential to be administered every six months due to its high potency and long half-life, which could redefine the standard-of-care.
Tony Wood, Chief Scientific Officer, said: “Given the limited treatment options for asthma patients with low T2 inflammation, we look forward to using our deep respiratory expertise to potentially offer a long-acting biologic to a broader portion of the 315 million patients living with asthma.”
GSK has an industry-leading portfolio of marketed and investigational medicines to address a range of respiratory diseases, including biologics aimed at treating the subset of asthma patients with high levels of eosinophils or high T2 inflammation. Adding AIO-001 could expand GSK’s portfolio to include a biologic for severe asthma patients with low T2 inflammation.
Financial considerations
Under the terms of the agreement, GSK will pay a $1 billion upfront payment and up to $400 million in certain success-based regulatory milestone payments. In addition, GSK will also be responsible for success-based milestone payments as well as tiered royalties owed to Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (Hengrui). AIO-001 was exclusively licensed to Aiolos for development and commercialisation rights outside of Greater China by Hengrui.
