AbbVie (ABBV.US) spent $2.1 billion to acquire the clinical-stage biotechnology company Capstan Therapeutics.

AbbVie (ABBV.US) has agreed to acquire clinical-stage biotechnology company Capstan Therapeutics for up to $2.1 billion in cash. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Capstan's primary focus is on developing in vivo CAR-T therapies that aim to combine the powerful efficacy of CAR-T therapy with the convenience of "off-the-shelf" products for treating autoimmune diseases. Its lead candidate product, CPTX2309, is a potential first-in-class drug targeting B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. This candidate therapy is an in vivo targeted lipid nanoparticle (tLNP) delivery of anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy, currently in Phase 1 clinical development. Additionally, AbbVie will acquire Capstan's proprietary tLNP platform technology, which is designed for delivering RNA payloads (such as mRNA) for engineering specific cell types in vivo. Roopal Thakkar, Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer, and Chief Scientific Officer at AbbVie, stated: "By advancing the development of CPTX2309 and leveraging Capstan's innovative platform technology, AbbVie and Capstan are committed to reshaping treatment approaches that could reshape the immune system and change treatment paradigms for patients with autoimmune diseases."