Takeda has agreed to acquire a Phase II drug candidate for treating autoimmune diseases from Nimbus Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company, in a deal worth up to $6 billion ($4 billion upfront and $2 billion in milestone payments.  

The drug candidate is NDI-034858, an oral, selective allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of multiple autoimmune diseases following successful recent Phase IIb results in psoriasis (as reported on December 13, 2022). NDI-034858 is anticipated to enter Phase III in psoriasis in 2023. It is in an ongoing Phase IIb study in active psoriatic arthritis, and Takeda plans to investigate it for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and other autoimmune diseases. 

Under the agreement, Takeda will pay Nimbus $4 billion upfront and two milestone payments of $1 billion each upon NDI-034858 achieving annual net sales of $4 billion and $5 billion. The transaction is expected to be finalized before the end of 2022. Closing of the transaction is contingent on completion of review under antitrust laws, including the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. 

Source: Takeda