LEO Pharma has announces that it will acquire Replay, a gene therapy company focused on developing transformative treatments for rare genetic dermatological conditions. LEO will pay Replay $50m upfront, plus milestone payments and tiered single-digit royalties.
The acquisition adds deep expertise and a next-generation gene therapy platform to LEO Pharma’s pipeline through Replay’s high-payload herpes simplex virus (HSV) delivery vector.
Viral gene therapy uses engineered viruses to deliver therapeutic genetic material into cells to treat disease at its source. Replay’s gene therapy platform leverages HSV’s unique capacity to deliver large genes, making it particularly well suited for addressing rare, genetically driven dermatological conditions.
The lead drug candidate in Replay’s pipeline is currently in preclinical studies for the treatment of a rare genetic condition called dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB). This condition causes the skin to be fragile and blister easily, leading to painful chronic wounds that heal slowly and poorly, often resulting in scar tissue and skin cancer.
The genetically modified HSV therapy is formulated as a topical gel that targets the deficient gene when applied directly to the skin.
Christophe Bourdon, CEO of LEO Pharma, said: “Replay’s HSV gene therapy platform holds significant promise for patients with rare genetic skin diseases, and realising its full potential requires focused expertise in medical dermatology – an area where LEO Pharma brings decades of leadership, scale and proven execution.”
Lachlan MacKinnon, CEO of Replay, added: “Replay has developed an HSV gene therapy platform with a focus on genetic skin diseases. Natural tropism for skin cells and the ability to redose patients make HSV uniquely suited to treating rare genetic dermatological conditions.
“Together with LEO Pharma’s decades of dermatology leadership and global infrastructure, purpose-built for skin diseases, we can bring therapies to the patients who need them most and build an enduring dermatology franchise in rare genetic medicine.”