The Massachusetts biotech will also be eligible to milestone payments, though the exact amount has yet to be disclosed.
GSK is joining Big Pharma’s year-end dealmaking rush, signing a pact with CAMP4 Therapeutics to advance novel RNA-targeting therapies for neurodegenerative and kidney diseases.
The pharma will pay $17.5 million upfront to leverage CAMP4’s proprietary RAP Platform to identify so-called regulatory RNAs—molecules that control the expression of many gene targets. The partners will then design and develop antisense oligonucleotides to amplify the expression of these genes, after which GSK will take charge of further clinical development and commercialization, according to the terms of the deal announced Thursday.
It is unclear how many programs the companies will collaborate on, with a representative only revealing to BioSpace in an email that there will be “multiple candidates” under the alliance.
As part of the agreement, the Massachusetts-based biotech will be entitled to up to $440 million in development and commercial milestones. CAMP4 will also be eligible to tiered royalties on future sales.
With the CAMP4 collab, GSK joins its Big Pharma peers in rushing to squeeze in deals before the year ends. On Tuesday, Bristol Myers Squibb put more than $1 billion on the line to partner with China’s Harbour BioMed in a deal geared toward developing multi-specific antibodies for undisclosed indications. That same day, Roche linked up with Caris Life Sciences for more than $1.1 billion, looking to harness the biotech’s AI capabilities to develop novel drugs for solid tumors.
The CAMP4 partnership also puts GSK in the same arena as Novartis, which in October swallowed Avidity Biosciences for $12 billion. Like CAMP4, Avidity is working on RNA-targeting therapies, leveraging what it calls antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates. These complexes consist of a monoclonal antibody that helps aim the entire construct towards a target, and a nucleotide payload that carries its therapeutic effects.
Avidity is harnessing this approach for neuromuscular disorders, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy type 1.
