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AstraZeneca Goes All In On AL Amyloidosis With Caelum Acquisition

Deal Could Be Worth Up To $500m

 
• By Kevin Grogan

AstraZeneca’s recently-acquired Alexion unit is paying $150m upfront to buy the remainder of Caelum Biosciences and its late-stage therapy for light chain  amyloidosis, a rare disease in which misfolded amyloid proteins build up in organs throughout the body, including the heart and kidneys.

Alexion AZ

AstraZeneca PLC’s Alexion unit has exercised an option to acquire the remaining equity in Caelum Biosciences, Inc. and get control of a promising late-stage candidate for the treatment of light chain (AL) amyloidosis, a rare, tough-to-treat protein misfolding disorder.

Alexion, acquired earlier this year by AstraZeneca for $39bn, first entered into a collaboration in 2019 with Caelum (and took a 19.9% stake in the firm founded by Fortress Biotech Inc. for $30m) to develop CAEL-101, a potentially first-in-class drug designed to improve organ function by reducing or eliminating amyloid deposits in the tissues and organs of patients with AL amyloidosis

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