GSK on Tuesday said it would acquire asthma drug maker Aiolos Bio in a deal worth up to $1.4 billion, as the British drugmaker boosts its growing respiratory diseases portfolio.
Founded in 2023, Aiolos is focused on developing therapies for respiratory and inflammatory conditions. It is currently developing 'AIO-001', a treatment for asthma which is ready to enter mid-stage clinical trials.
The drug would expand the reach of its current respiratory biologics portfolio, including to the 40% of severe asthma patients with certain conditions, where treatment options are still needed, said Tony Wood, GSK's chief scientific officer.
GSK will pay $1 billion upfront and up to $400 million in certain success-based regulatory milestone payments. It will also make milestone payments as well as pay tiered royalties to China's Hengrui Pharma, which licensed the asthma therapy to Aiolos.
GSK's respiratory diseases portfolio, which is currently growing on the back of a strong launch of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, has been a focus for the company as it grapples with a combination of patent expiries and declining revenue from its current bestsellers by the end of this decade.
Respiratory medicines and vaccines generated about 11 billion pounds ($14 billion) in sales for GSK in 2022.
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