Gilead has agreed to acquire Tubulis, a private, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
As part of the agreement, Gilead will pay $3.15bn upfront, with an option of up to $1.85bn in milestone payments.
Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO of Gilead, said: “The agreement to acquire Tubulis is a significant milestone in Gilead’s progress in oncology. The company brings a clinical-stage candidate that is a potential new treatment for ovarian cancer, as well as a next-generation ADC platform and a promising early pipeline.
“Today’s agreement follows a two-year collaboration with Tubulis, which has given us strong conviction in their programmes and research capabilities. Bringing this potential into Gilead would further expand what is already the strongest and most diverse pipeline in our company’s history.”
Tubulis’ lead asset, TUB-040, a NaPi2b-directed topoisomerase-I inhibitor (TOPO1i) ADC for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is currently in phase 1b/2 development and will be added to Gilead’s oncology pipeline.
TUB-030, a 5T4 targeted ADC, will also be included in the acquisition. The treatment has shown promising initial clinical data across various solid tumour types.
Dominik Schumacher, CEO and co-founder of Tubulis, said: “Joining Gilead allows us to build on this foundation within an organisation that brings deep scientific expertise, global development capabilities and the scale needed to translate innovation into medicines for patients worldwide.
“Through our existing collaboration, Gilead has already seen the potential of our technologies and together, we are well positioned to accelerate the development of our ADC pipeline.”
Once the transaction closes, German-based Tubulis will operate within Gilead as a dedicated ADC research organisation, with the Munich site serving as a hub for ADC innovation.